On a Whim
by Shadow Oblivion
Summary: Law wasn't happy his plans were being shot to hell because of Straw Hat's unpredictability, but did Luffy and his crew really have to drag him along into their madness? A brief stop for bad weather had been unexpected, but so was the plan going haywire in Dressrosa. Things went spiraling out of control soon after, and no amount of careful planning was going to help what came next.
1. Chapter 1

Let's just say that I like to write to entertain people, and since Law is so serious, and his reactions around the Straw Hats so entertaining, I decided to torment Law some more by writing this fic. It's mainly Law watching the Straw Hats get into mischief, and then getting drawn into it against his will.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Trafalgar Law was displeased. Things were not going at all the way he had envisioned…and it was all Straw Hat's fault.

The Thousand Sunny was anchored off a tiny island for an unexpected stop. Law's protests went unheard as a number of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy included, went ashore.

Law shook his head, and, weapon in hand, leapt off the ship to the dock. He was going to have to at least make sure that Luffy and the others didn't draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. The Heart Pirate hadn't bargained for this sudden detour, though he supposed the ship would need to be stocked at some point. He just didn't know why they had to do it now, when they were on such a tight schedule. Any delays could jeopardize their mission.

Law stopped mid-step, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he spotted a gang of pirates blocking the Straw Hat's path. Law almost felt sorry for them as Luffy went barreling forward, showing absolutely no sign of stopping.

Law was at a complete loss. The look of resignation on the Heart Pirate face could only begin to describe how his alliance with the Straw Hats was affecting him mentally. Law's carefully thought out plans were rapidly falling to pieces around him through the utter recklessness of the Straw Hat crew.

Law watched in horrified fascination as Luffy made an incredibly loud nuisance of himself as he plowed through the low rung pirates like they weren't even there. Even as far back as Law was, he could hear Straw Hat yelling at the top of his lungs loud and clear.

"Meat! Where's the meat?!"

The rest of the crew followed after their captain, as Zoro and Sanji took care of any of the pirates who had managed to remain upright. It was quite a pitiful sight.

Law soon all alone, speechless with what he had just witnessed. The Heart Pirate decided that there had to be something seriously wrong with all of the Straw Hats, and he really didn't want whatever it was rubbing off on him.

"Hey, you! You're friends with that Straw Hat guy, aren't you?"

And there went one reason why Law did not want to make a detour. Complications with local pirates who thought they were big shots.

Law half turned, unsurprised that the previously bowled over pirates were now surrounding him. Law could tell that they were trying their best to appear intimidating despite their now ragged appearance. Law stared at the speaker, not inclined to speak, as he was more concerned with the racket Luffy was making. The Heart Pirate hadn't thought that restocking the ship would be such a noisy production.

The pirate who had spoken, the captain of the group, puffed up indignantly at the blank stare Law was giving him. The pirate decided that the expression was one of fear and the reason that Law wasn't responding was because he was afraid. This bolstered the pirate captain's confidence, "Well, I'm not hearin' any denial. Isn't that right boys?" The gathered pirates let out shouts of agreement, and the pirate captain grinned crookedly, "I hope you're ready for the consequences of messin' with me and my crew. We'll add in extra punishment for your friends that ran off."

And there was yet another reason why Law didn't want the Straw Hat Pirates to act without thinking things through. Now he had angry small fries to deal with.

Law's gaze swept the circle of pirates, unimpressed with the gathering. Just from a mere glance, he could tell that none of them were a threat. Weapons were being drawn by now, and Law let out a light sigh. The trouble he was getting into while around the Straw Hat crew...If he wasn't careful, he would get caught up in their hectic pace as well.

Law lifted his left hand and uttered, "Room." A clear dome appeared all around the pirates, enclosing them inside the circle it made, and subsequently opening them up to Law's manipulations. He would finish this quickly, and catch up with the Straw Hats. He needed to ensure that they weren't doing anything else to draw attention to themselves.

Murmurs went throughout the gathered pirates, some of them lowering their weapons as they looked in puzzlement at the thin dome that surrounded them. A few of the smarter ones realized just who they were harassing, and how stupid it was of them to do so.

Law twisted a few fingers in the direction of the pirates directly before him, "Shambles." As soon as he heard exclamations of surprise, he turned around and drew his sword. Law swung the sword several times at the other half of the gathered pirates, slicing them into pieces in mere moments. Law twisted his fingers again, and the body parts moved, piecing together in different ways and causing even more confusion amongst the pirates.

Law sheathed his sword with a clink of metal, and rested it against his shoulder. Satisfied that he had dealt with the minor threat, Law decided to make one thing very clear. His eyes bored into the cowering pirates as he grated out, "I am _not_ their friend." Law just happened to have an alliance with them that he thought would be convenient. He hadn't expected the craziness that had come with that decision.

Law strolled off, unchallenged. A look of consternation passed over the Heart Pirate's face. Law wondered, not for the first time, why in the world he had thought that an alliance with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat crew had been a good idea. The potential benefit outweighed the bad for the time being, so he chose not to think about it. Law headed down the street that held food and supply shops, and when he didn't see any of the Straw Hats, went on to the next place he could think of. A tavern.

Law went into the loudest tavern, and stood just inside the building. He took in the scene, immediately disturbed by the sight. The noisy, jolly crowd grated on his nerves. Law spotted the Straw Hats, and instantly about faced like he had just witnessed a murder. He was leaving, and leaving now, while his sanity was still intact.

That was when it happened.

Law felt someone grip his shoulder, preventing his departure. Law's hand slid up to the hilt of his sword, when he realized that it was Luffy. The other's arm was obviously stretched out, and that was what was preventing him from fleeing the noisy gathering. What did Straw Hat think he was doing?

Law kept his eyes on the entrance to the tavern, wanting nothing more than to remove himself from the situation, "I should go and make sure that those pirates don't go telling others that they've seen us. We're trying to keep a low profile." Law would have tried to say more, but knew that Luffy would have none of his excuses, especially once the other had decided on something. That something right now being the prevention of Law leaving, even though it was obvious he didn't want to be there. At all. Of course, the Heart Pirate's feelings on the matter were not consulted, and would have been completely ignored in any case. It just didn't seem fair that Law had to be subjected to Straw Hat's whims.

Law heard Luffy laugh, and he had no idea whether it was at his words or just because Straw Hat was in a good mood. The next thing Law knew, Luffy's grip tightened, and Law was suddenly flying through the air, propelled by a powerful tug. Law's impromptu flight ended abruptly as he landed across what felt like another person. Orienting himself, Law glanced up and realized that he had ended up across Robin's lap.

Robin glanced up from her book and offered a thin smile at the sight of the Heart Pirate's utterly floored expression. "Nice of you to join us."

Sanji appeared out of nowhere, livid, "Hey! Get off of Robin's lap, you bastard!" The blond's demeanor abruptly changed as he sighed longingly, "Ah, Robin's lap would be so wonderful to lie on."

Law wordlessly slid away from both Robin and Sanji, not interested in getting into a senseless argument and/or fight with the Straw Hat's cook. At least it seemed that Sanji had forgotten about him as he tried to get on Robin's lap. The Heart Pirate watched as Robin pushed her chair backward, and Sanji missed his mark, causing him to crash to the ground roughly. He didn't seem to be too put out by this setback. Law blinked and backed away some more. The cook had the weirdest obsession with women Law had ever seen.

Law slumped down onto the nearest empty chair against the wall, his mood not improved as the noise around him came back into focus. The seat he had chosen ended up giving him a front row seat to the chaos. Law eyed all the Staw Hats suspiciously, wondering if this was some new scheme of theirs to make use of their alliance. From the looks of things, however, it was more than likely they were just having a good time.

Law scanned the rest of the crowd. There were a few people giving the Straw Hat crew perplexed looks. A few were even laughing at their antics. Law stiffened as spotted a few marines that were seated at a table on the far end of the tavern. They hadn't yet bothered to see what all the fuss was, because no damage was being done. Yet. Law let out a sigh. Good. It would be just his luck if Straw Hat and the others attracted the attention of the marines. It would be an unneeded complication.

Law turned his attention to Luffy, who was nearest to him, and muttered, in a low and urgent tone, "Why are you all making such a racket? You're going to get us spotted before the time is right!"

Luffy took a bite out of the meat in front of him, not as concerned about cover as the Heart Pirate was. He offered a grin to the startled Law, "It'll be fine. If we're spotted we can just knock them out, right?"

Law watched, speechless, as Luffy went back to the meat with gusto. Law couldn't believe how carefree Straw Hat was. Knocking people out wouldn't prevent them from passing on information once they were conscious again. The Heart Pirate observed the marines warily, but they were still unaware of their presence. Law eyed a nearby bottle of wine on the table next to him. What the hell, why not? It didn't seem like he was going to be leaving the tavern any time soon. Law reached out, glaring back at Zoro as he grabbed a bottle of alcohol off the table between them.

His plans temporarily changed, Law took a sip of the wine. He figured that his plans were already going to hell at this rate. A little alcohol wouldn't hurt. Besides, with the way things were going, Doflamingo wasn't even going to have a chance to kill him, if it came to that. The Straw Hat Pirates might beat the other warlord to it with their recklessness and utter disregard for any definitive plan. More importantly, if Law was going to have to bear witness to the people he made an alliance with make fools of themselves, he wasn't going to be entirely sober. He would never survive the madness with his sanity intact.

"Oh? Are you going to have a drinking contest?"

Law glanced to the side. Sanji had wandered over to the table between himself and Zoro, and seemed to be expecting a response. The Heart Pirate gave Sanji a perplexed look. Why would he participate in such a thing? Being drunk would just be asking for trouble. He'd only planned on getting a little buzzed.

After seeing the look thrown his way by Law, Sanji answered his own question, "I didn't think so." Sanji began to heckle the green haired swordsman, "You're just going to share the booze, moss head? That's a surprise."

Zoro was not in the mood to rise to the bait. There was plenty to drink anyway, "Go away, you shitty cook."

Sanji glanced between the two, an idea forming in his mind of how to get more time with Nami and Robin. An idea that involved the majority of the tavern's patron's attention being diverted to the two before him. Sanji gave Zoro a belittling smile, "I bet the Heart Pirate here can drink you under the table and take the rest of the booze from you."

Law was about to protest the claim, when nearby patrons, overhearing Sanji's words, suddenly began to pile bottles of alcohol on the table, excited at the prospect of having a drinking contest take place. Even Luffy began banging on the table and chanting along with the other patrons, "Drink! Drink! Drink!"

Nami rolled her eyes at the level of immaturity going on around her, focused on something far more important. Money. Nami figured she could make quite a good amount from the drunks in the tavern. A drinking contest didn't seem like all that bad of an idea now. It might even be profitable. A warlord of the sea vs a skilled swordsman. The drunks would be throwing cash her way. Nami's eyes took on a terrifying gleam.

Law had recovered by the time more alcohol appeared on the table, and he began to rise. This was not something he was willing to do for an alliance. It was a complete waste of time, and it was below him to participate in such a…

"Are you running, Surgeon of Death? Afraid to lose?"

Law paused, locking eyes with Zoro, "I am not taking part in this. It has nothing to do with our shared goal, and it would take away time that could be used more efficiently..."

Zoro took another drink from his oversized mug, a faint smile dancing across his face at the sight of Law clenching his teeth, "A pirate, backing down from a challenge?"

Law gritted his teeth. He refused to give in to this. It was utterly pointless, and he didn't agree to an alliance with these people only to play stupid games that had nothing to do with...

Law gasped as someone shoved him back down and forced a mug into his hand. Law looked up sharply, and nearly came face to face with Nami, who was beaming at him, albeit in a scary way.

"It won't take that long." Nami lowered her voice, "And I can make good money from the betting pool."

"Betting pool?" Law was being thrown for a loop, and after more heckling and pressure from the crowd and the Straw Hat crew, (Usopp, Brook and Chopper, who had also gone along, had joined in) Law finally broke down and gave in. He downed the mug, drawing a look of amusement from Zoro. Law placidly grabbed a wine bottle and eyed Zoro challengingly. He wasn't going to take this lying down. He was going to have some choice words with Luffy and the others after this. He wasn't doing this for fun.

Not. At. All.

A half hour and four drinks later…

Law was ready to call it quits. The alcohol was quite strong, and his head was already swimming. Zoro was still calmly drinking, apparently not yet affected by the amount he had consumed.

Law made as if to rise, when he found himself unable to. Law blinked down at his waist, and saw two arms encircling it, preventing him from leaving. Where had those come from? Dazedly, Law looked around for a few seconds before he spotted Robin nearby, her arms crossed with the book she had been reading earlier on the table before her.

A hand jostled Law's shoulder, which made his head throb painfully in response. Law tilted his head woozily, and saw that Nami was standing at his side.

Nami let go of the Heart Pirate's shoulder, and cracked her knuckles, smiling unsympathetically, "Keep drinking. These people aren't dishing out their money only to have one of the contestants back out." Nami swatted the back of Law's head as she finished with a threatening hiss, "I _am_ going to make a profit from this, so do your part and don't you dare stop until you're finished!"

Law leaned away as he swayed dangerously in his seat, and only remained there thanks to the arms Robin had wrapped around him. The navigator could be quite terrifying, in her own way. The Heart Pirate stared at the freshly poured mug before him with trepidation. He couldn't remember the last time he had ended up drunk, but it most certainly hadn't been forced upon him like this. Law felt the mug pushed into his grasp, and he stared at it as if it were magical and had gotten there on its own.

Trafalgar Law would be a little grateful for the fuzziness the alcohol provided to his mind, because it limited his memory of the event. Otherwise, the Heart Pirate would have been tempted to murder everyone as soon as he was sober.

Two hours later…

"And then, he went…went on a'head, all confident and stuff, ignoring the...the plan..." Law slurred, leaning heavily against Zoro for support as he waved his mug in the air, morosely telling the swordsman his woes.

Zoro patted his shoulder sympathetically, even as he used Law similarly to keep himself upright as he slurred back, "Don't worry 'bout it. The captain always does what he wants. You get used to his whims after a while."

Law slumped weakly against Zoro, blinking blearily as he tried to force his fuzzy mind to work, "What were we talking about before?"

Zoro drained the remainder of his mug in one gulp, frowning, "I don't remember. Something 'bout whales…" Zoro watched with vague interest as Law slid off his shoulder and collapsed to the ground.

Law was confused as to why he was suddenly on the ground when he hadn't been before. His vision was making him nauseous, so he closed his eyes, struggling in vain to remain awake as he mumbled, "Whales? Wasnit about Do…Doflamin…go?"

Zoro settled on the ground nearby, unable to remain standing without the other's assistance. He eyed the mug still clutched in one of Law's hands, "You gonna finish that?"

Law mumbled something incoherent. His head was spinning as he quietly muttered, "Make the noise stop. Too loud. Gonna be heard."

Zoro inched closer to the Heart Pirate in an attempt to understand what the other was saying, "What?" Zoro ended up face down on the ground next to Law with a grunt, but figured it didn't matter, since he could make out Law's drunken murmurs now.

"Gonna be found…marines make a ruckus…Dofl…flamingo finds out our...our plan…" Law opened his eyes briefly as he reached out and grasped a handful of Zoro's clothes with his free hand, "Get killed, if they find us…here…" A peculiar expression crossed Law's face, and any concerns he had fled as something suddenly became much more important. He shook Zoro lightly, miraculously keeping the mug in his other hand from spilling, "Why are the damn whales making so much noise?!"

Zoro watched as Law lost his grip on him and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Zoro waited until he heard soft snoring, before he pushed himself up a bit and snaked a hand over Law's back to get to the mug that still hadn't spilled. Zoro drank it, propped up on one elbow as he muttered to the unconscious man next to him, "I'll deal with the whales. Just don't let the booze go to waste..."

After another few drinks, Zoro ended up falling asleep alongside the Heart Pirate, snoring uproariously. Both of them were deaf to the cheering patrons, who were amazed at the amount of alcohol consumed between the two.

-x

Law's head ached terribly when he finally woke up with. Law doubled over with a small groan, wondering just how much alcohol he had consumed to completely knock him out. His memory was hazy. Law ran a hand through his hair, the hat missing. The last thing he remembered was entering a tavern to make sure that the Straw Hat Pirates weren't blowing their cover. After that, it was foggy. Obviously it had involved alcohol, as Law felt absolutely wretched due to the massive hangover he was currently sporting. What in the hell had happened?

"Ah! Tra guy's awake!"

Law winced at Luffy's ridiculously loud voice, and groaned again, this time a little louder. Taking a deep breath, Law raised his head. He immediately regretted it as the sunlight stabbed into his eyes, sending him back to the ground in fetal position. Why was it so bright out? Just how long had he been out? Law made a noncommittal sound when someone poked him in the shoulder. Probably Straw Hat.

"Hey, don't go back to sleep. We need to get to the ship." Zoro showed no sign of having a hangover.

"That coming from you? You were dead asleep a minute ago, you useless swordsman!" Sanji was still disappointed that he had been unable to spend time the previous night with either Nami or Robin.

Luffy laughed, finding the situation entertaining, "You guys are funny!"

Law tilted his head to stare at a laughing Luffy, irritated, as it was obvious that the other captain had never been drunk in his entire life. Otherwise Straw Hat would have perhaps tried to be a bit quieter. Law's eyes narrowed at the hand that Luffy was slowly inching toward his shoulder, no doubt to shake him in what he thought would be a helpful way.

"Leave him alone for now, Luffy. He's going to need a bit of time to recover. He did drink quite a lot."

Law turned his gaze in the direction the voice had come from. It was the navigator's, and Law noted that she was perched on a table, counting a large pile of money. She looked extremely pleased with herself, and smiled at the Heart Pirate when she noticed his eyes were on her.

Nami waved a handful of cash, grinning happily, "You and Zoro sure came in close with the bets. I'm glad it all worked out."

Law blinked as bits of his fuzzy memory from the previous night slowly began to piece themselves together. Money. Bets. Alcohol. The green haired swordsman. The navigator taking bets. Loud cheering. Then it all came rushing back to him, and the horror of what he had done the previous night hit Law harder than the alcohol had.

The Heart Pirate's horrified expression must have been unexpected, because Luffy tilted his head, looking concerned, "What's wrong Tra guy? You gonna be sick?"

No. No no no no no. Law had let the Straw Hat crew successfully distract him. He hadn't escaped from their madness. No, he had _participated_ in it, and now had a hangover as a result. Law stumbled to his feet to go retch in a nearby restroom of the tavern, not caring if it ruined his image. He had other things on his mind.

When he emerged, Law wordlessly accepted his weapon from Zoro. A silent understanding seemed to pass between the two. Law was teetering on the edge, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Words seemed to be useless when dealing with Luffy, so maybe a brief scuffle would get things through to the other. Law retrieved his hat from Robin, and stumbled a little as he settled it back on his head.

Before Law could decide on a course of action to take, the tavern doors burst open, and the mismatched and switched members of the pirate gang from the day before piled in, livid and out for blood.

"Damn you, Surgeon of Death!"

"Change us back!"

"Trafalgar Law!"

A crazed gleam appeared in Law's eyes as he kept himself upright by using his sheathed sword as a makeshift crutch. His head was pounding, and it was hard trying to make a rational decision when people were making so much noise. He could solve that by stopping it himself. Law lifted his gaze to the pirates, a terrifyingly dark smile stretching across his face.

Zoro held out a hand to prevent Luffy from joining in on the fun, "Don't. Let him handle it."

Luffy produced a hunk of meat, "Okay."

Nami hastily began stuffing money into a bag, sensing a rather nasty fight in the making.

Law's crazed smile would have been enough to defeat the pirate gang, but he wouldn't have that. He needed to work out his pent up frustration now. Law raised his left hand.

"Room."

-x

Law was back on the Thousand Sunny with the rest of the Straw Hats, by himself and currently in shock. He couldn't believe he had done that. Law could still hear the screams. Why had he gone that far? That pirate gang had been so far beneath him that he needn't have even bothered with them. They would have been easily scattered if he had just glared at them.

Law clutched his sword close to his chest, growing more horrified by the minute. He was acting like one of _them_. He'd tried so hard to not get swept up in the Straw Hat's hectic, manic pace, but it seemed to have caught up to him anyway. Where had he gone wrong?

"I can't stay with them for much longer like this. I'm going to go insane…"

Later…

The Straw Hat Pirates found Law in a dark corner of the ship, a curled up visage of misery. He was muttering under his breath, apparently so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice those that gathered around him.

Luffy poked the prone Law, and after getting no response, looked up at the rest of his crew, specifically Chopper, "What's wrong with him?"

Zoro closed his eye and leaned against a nearby wall, smirking, "I think you broke him."

"Eh?! How?!" Luffy seized Law by the front of his sweater, lifting the other man partially into the air as he shook him frantically, "Don't die, Tra guy! We'll fix you! I'll give you meat!"

Law, being jostled back and forth, took the sudden shaking stoically. He didn't know whether he wanted to die or just run far away, as fast as he could. Not that either would do him any good around these people. The shaking was beginning to hurt his head and a headache was beginning to form, so running it was. Law freed himself from Luffy's frantic attempts to help him, and ran. Moments later, he was pursued by the Straw Hats with Luffy in the lead.

"He's sick! That's what's wrong! Chopper, fix him!"

Law dodged Luffy's stretched out lunge, before he had to face the more attack like attempts from the rest of the crew.

Sanji swung a leg at the Heart Pirate, "Where are you going?"

Law ducked beneath the savage kick, before he leapt into the air as the cook went for a low sweep. Law narrowly avoided being tripped as he hit the deck running. The Heart Pirate went into a low roll to dodge a seed, and subsequently questing vines, that Usopp slung at him, and twisted to the side as he lunged to his feet once more. Law half drew his sword in time to block a lunge from Brook's blade. Law parried a few more thrusts, before he managed to get past Brook, heading across the ship deck.

"Yo ho ho ho! He's headed your way Franky. I see him!" Brook stopped his pursuit of the other pirate captain as realization struck home, "Only I don't have eyes to see with!"

Law found the skeleton to be quite disturbing, but put it from his mind as he dropped flat to the deck in order to avoid being hit with the shipwright's fist. The "Super!" Franky shouted grated on Law's nerves, but he wasn't willing to actually get into a fight at this time. Law headed higher up onto the deck, placing some distance between himself and the crew members he'd already avoided.

Law's eyes narrowed as he sensed someone headed his way, and acted swiftly. Law spun about, his expression grim as he completely drew his sword from its sheathe in time to block a downward slash from Zoro.

Law's jaw set as he worked hard to bring his sword up in time to parry each of Zoro's thrusts and slashes. Law knew the other man wasn't serious about the sudden fight, as he only had one weapon drawn. Law's eyes widened as Zoro drew a second katana, and the Heart Pirate cursed, twisting his blade up to block the double downward slash. Straining against the blades, Law raised his eyes to meet Zoro's, only to be completely dumbfounded when he saw that the swordsman grinning.

"Feeling any better?"

Law blinked in surprise, gasping as Zoro back stepped away. The reason behind the action became apparent when Luffy came flying through the air out of the blue, wrapping his arms about Law's middle and shouting triumphantly.

"Chopper! I got him!"

Law lowered his blade, his face blank as he glanced down at Luffy and the sight of Straw Hat clinging to him with a determined expression. Sighing, Law sheathed his sword and spoke tersely, "I am fine. Besides…" Law rested the sheathed blade against his shoulder, "I am a doctor. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Luffy let go of Law as he grinned cheekily at Zoro, "You fixed him!"

Law drifted away from the chattering Straw Hat Pirates, and shook his head as he stared out at the sea. He was trying very hard not to smile at the absurdity of the whole situation. Though they may not have outright stated it, the sudden flurry of attacks had been the Straw Hat crew's own peculiar way of trying to cheer him up in the face of another of Luffy's random whims. Law ended up losing the battle to keep a straight face as he smiled wryly.

No matter how much Law wanted to escape their carefree pace, he was slowly finding himself falling into it. It made the Heart Pirate think that the Straw Hat's unpredictability would be an asset after all, should they have to move against Doflamingo directly. If things worked out how he thought they would, then losing a little of his sanity wasn't such a bad thing.

There was only one thing left to do.

Law turned and drew his sword, gaining the other's attention instantly. He was going to have that talk after all. He would do anything to shorten the number of unnecessary side trips.

The Heart Pirate lifted his left hand, and as he did, another faint smile lit his features.

Trafalgar Law was going to enjoy this. He _would_ have some say in the alliance, as he had been the one who had suggested it in the first place. The word he uttered to the Straw Hat Pirates before him was laced with vindictive pleasure.

"Room."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I hope I was able to keep the characters as IC as possible, as that was my intent. I hope it was amusing. It just kept getting sillier as I wrote it.


	2. Chapter 2

One short conversation and this idea popped into my head, and would not leave me the heck alone. As a result, this is part one of four of that idea. Like the last chapter, I tried very hard to keep it IC. And yes, Kidd is in it now, because I needed a character who would probably find Law's situation funny. There are brief mentions of stuff that has happened in the manga, but this story is mostly done for fun and playing around with character interactions, so there will be some inconsistencies.

I'm not going to be doing another disclaimer, since I did that already in the first chapter, and I obviously don't own anything from the series. I'm only responsible for obsessing over this idea so much that it exceeded 10,000 words. I don't regret any of it, as it was a lot of fun. It picks up from the end of the first chapter, though the first chapter could be considered a stand alone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Law lowered his hand and dropped it to his weapon's hilt. There had to be something wrong with him. There was no other explanation for the Heart Pirate's reactions as of late. There was no way he would have ever have started something with the Straw Hat Pirates if he were thinking clearly. However, with the thin dome he had just engulfed across part of the deck of Straw Hat's ship, there was no going back now. Law was going to have to follow through, even if he had to get battered around in the process to make his opinions heard.

Law noted that all of the Straw Hats were clustered together, and could quite easily gang up on him if they wanted to. He should have thought this through more carefully. Law leaned to one side to avoid a punch from the shipwright, and clamped a hand around his sword's hilt. If he could just cause some confusion, perhaps he could get a word in. What the Heart Pirate didn't realize was that the brawl he had begun was to be pathetically short.

Law locked eyes with the green haired swordsman, who had been up leaning up against a wall of the ship. Out of all the Straw Hats, he needed to deal with him first, and it wasn't just due to the fact that Zoro was dashing toward him with a katana, and closing the distance between them at a rapid pace. The Heart Pirate set his jaw as he was forced to use his sheathed blade to block the attack.

Zoro increased the pressure of his blade against the Heart Pirate's, and he didn't particularly care for the reason why Law was acting this way. He had been trying to take a short nap, and Law was being unusually loud. It wasn't Zoro's fault that Law hadn't learned to take the madness of the ship in stride. It really wasn't that big of a deal once one got used to it.

Law strained against the swordsman's blade, trying to free one of his hands to swap the green haired swordsman and the cook's personalities. He figured that it would buy him some time. Law freed his left hand, and twitched his fingers, opening his mouth to speak, "Sham…!" Law let out a gasp of surprise as a hand was suddenly clamped over his mouth, effectively silencing him. That wouldn't have been an issue, if more hands hadn't appeared, restraining his arm and the hand that was holding the blade, another few preventing him from moving his other arm. Law struggled to free himself, and in turn draw his blade, but the arms held fast, and he was unable to move.

Zoro stepped back as he glanced over his shoulder at Luffy, who had been nearby, watching, "What should we do with him?" Zoro slipped his katana back into its sheathe automatically, as it didn't seem he would need to use it, as Robin had added a few more arms to prevent the Heart Pirate from moving his legs either.

Law bristled at the swordsman's words, displeased at being treated in such a way. He fought against the sudden fleshy restraints uselessly, and made several muffled sounds of protest that nearly came out as a whine. Law's eyes caught Nico Robin's, but the woman wasn't looking at him as she stood there with her arms crossed. Law scowled. This was humiliating to be restrained in such a way and even more so when his well-being was being questioned without him able to say a word in his defense.

"He probably isn't feeling well from his hangover." Chopper piped up. "Maybe he needs to rest some more?"

"You wanna sleep Tra guy?"

Zoro turned his attention to Robin, "You'll have to let him talk." Zoro dropped his hand rest atop his weapons, "I can deal with him if he tries anything."

Law clenched the hand that wasn't holding his sword into a fist, displeased with the other's confidence and ability to deal with him. The Heart Pirate felt as Robin let one appendage vanish, letting him try and explain his sudden actions. Law was aware that the room he created was still up, but he wasn't about to try anything further when he was restrained and had his movement hampered. Not to mention the swordsman was all but daring him to start something with him, from the way the green haired man's hand was now wrapped around one of the katana's hilts, ready to draw in a blink of an eye.

Law's desire for a fight went as quickly as it had come. The Straw Hat Pirates were so exhausting to deal with. He'd have to try some other way to voice his opinion on how this alliance was progressing. The Heart Pirate noted Luffy's expectant expression, before he sighed and answered the other's question, "Maybe."

Luffy grinned at the terse response, swinging his legs from where he was sitting. The other pirate captain was so funny the way he acted so seriously. "Hey, Robin, let him go. He's probably just hungry."

Sanji shook his head, his hands in his pockets, "Are you sure you're not the one who's hungry?"

Luffy considered the question, before he brightened, "Yeah, I am. When are we gonna eat?"

Sanji gave his captain a disbelieving look, "We just had a meal an hour ago! How can you still want to eat more?!"

"But I am hungry…" Luffy moaned as he flopped down where he had been sitting.

Zoro laughed as Sanji gave in rather quickly and let a beaming Luffy follow him into the kitchen for a snack.

Law couldn't believe that Straw Hat would act this way, when in a fight, if he was serious, wouldn't hold back. And why were his crewmates giving him what he wanted? It didn't make any sense. The Heart Pirate had momentarily forgotten that Luffy had told Robin to let go of him, so Law was caught unaware as Robin suddenly released him from her hold. Law stumbled back from the loss of restriction, and the momentum made him fall back several feet across the deck, where the back of his head came roughly into contact with the nearby mast.

The Heart Pirate dropped to the deck like a stone amidst a few surprised exclamations from a few of the Straw Hats, his sword falling out of his limp grasp. As soon as Law lost consciousness, the room he had created vanished.

-x

It was several hours before Law came to, and when he did, he sat up slowly and took stock of his surroundings. Law noted that he had been confined to a cabin, and supposed he should be grateful for the complete and utter silence he was met with. The Heart Pirate could have easily let himself out, as the Straw Hat Pirates had done nothing to lock him inside the cabin, or bother to suppress his powers. Not that Law would have used them at the moment anyway. He was far too exhausted. The quiet allowed Law to think about things rationally, and why he had done what he did. He didn't have a good prognosis for himself. The Heart Pirate was beginning to question his sanity more and more as he wondered just why he'd thought it had been a good idea to start a fight with all of the Straw Hats.

Law rested the side of his head against the wall of the cabin. His efforts to get a word in about the alliance had ended in failure. Trafalgar scowled at the memory of the recent scuffle, as he reached over his shoulder and touched the back of his head gingerly. At least the skin hadn't broken, so the most he would suffer from was bruised skin and a slight bump for a day or so. Law dropped his hand with a frown. The humiliation of being knocked unconscious would linger longer. Law ran his hands over his face as he rubbed his closed eyelids with the heels of his hands. He couldn't do this anymore.

The Heart Pirate silently lifted his head and looked around the cabin bleakly. He wondered if there was anything there that he could possibly use to help himself out of this madness. Law knew his crew was too far off to help him, as he had made sure they would be, in case everything went up in flames, and Doflamingo, and perhaps Kaido, would be out for his blood. Law's eyes fell on a transponder snail that was snoozing on the table nearest to where he was huddled.

The Heart Pirate really didn't want to, but he was beginning to become desperate. He wanted things to move along more quickly, but Straw Hat seemed content to move at his own pace. If Law could just get some nobody to pick up on a distress signal, he could urge the Straw Hats to get a move on to avoid detection. It would be easy enough to take care of some nobodies if they tried to attack them. Law got to his feet and went over to the transponder snail. He would have to do this now, because he had no idea when the Straw Hat Pirates would come to check up on him.

Trafalgar Law was not at all prepared for who answered his distress call, and as soon as he heard whose voice it was on the other end, the Heart Pirate wondered if it was worth it to attract the attention of someone he didn't have much desire to see at the moment. Especially with the state he was in.

The only consolation was that Law wouldn't be the only one to be subjected to the Straw Hat's whims. He was about to get some company to join him in his misery.

-x

Eustass Kidd was bored, and that translated to him being dangerous to anyone or anything that could potentially set off his temper. Kidd scanned the sea, and seeing nothing but more sea, scowled darkly. There was nothing to do in the immediate vicinity, and he had the urge to destroy something. Preferably more of Big Mom's ships, or something that was even more of a challenge. Long stretches of inactivity could be a bitch, and Kidd didn't like the calm and peace one bit. Kidd's attention was drawn to the side, as he spotted Killer walking toward him, and he crossed his arms, eying the other pirate, "What is it?"

Killer gestured in the direction of the cabins, "There's a transponder snail setting off a distress signal."

"There ain't any islands in sight." Kidd uncrossed his arms, "Why the hell are you telling me this? Why don't you or someone else go get it?" Why bother him with something like that? It was hardly worth his attention, since it was probably just some loser who had gotten caught in a freak storm in the new world, and found they couldn't handle it.

"It could be a fake, Kidd. A setup by the marines." Killer's face was hidden, per usual, and Eustass couldn't quite pick up on the other's tone.

Kidd brushed off trying to interpret his crewmate's mood, and let out a short laugh as he brushed past Killer on the way to the cabin, "So what if it is?" Kidd flexed his mechanical left arm as he added, "If it_ is_ the navy, they'd be stupid to attack us. I can destroy most of those bastards in no time at all now. They're not worth my time anymore."

"But you're going to go answer the call anyway, even if it's a setup?"

"I'm bored." Kidd said shortly in response as he shouldered open the cabin door.

Inside the cabin, Kidd located the transponder snail easily enough, the annoying creature sobbing its head off to let the listener know that it was a distress signal. Kidd frowned at it. He needed to find something to do. Boredom was the worst. Kidd could sense that his crew was partially avoiding him, if only because they didn't know when he was going to flip his lid. If he'd been in the act of destroying something more recently, they were less likely to step lightly around him, because he'd be in a more or less good mood.

Kidd picked up the call, if only to stop the useless thing on the table from sobbing. Kidd snarled into the receiver, "Who the hell are you asshole? I'm not in a good mood right now, so if you want to die, speak up!" There was no response for a few moments, but when there was, it was a voice Kidd hadn't heard for some time, and the voice was not happy in the least bit.

"Eustass-ya?"

Kidd stared at the snail on the table, a nasty grin spreading across his face as he locked onto the fact that the voice belonged to Trafalgar Law. He'd wondered where that skinny son of a bitch had gotten to when Caesar Clown had failed to kill him and the others. Kidd's grin stretched further, because if Law was sending out a distress signal, it was likely because he was still with the Straw Hats, and Kidd found that funny as hell. Kidd cut Law off, "Hey, Trafalgar, haven't heard from you in a while. Got bored of being a government dog and tossed in with Straw Hat?"

There was complete silence on the other end of the receiver again, and Kidd laughed, knowing he'd caught the other pirate captain off guard. "Not who you expected it to be? Does the Surgeon of Death need to be rescued?" The humiliation and embarrassment in the Heart Pirate's voice was a wonderful thing to hear when the other finally spoke up again.

"What the hell are you doing around here? I thought you were off destroying things further away."

Kidd was still smirking, loving every minute of this as he lowered himself onto a chair to lounge, "How did you know that I was just looking for something to do?" Kidd laughed again at Law muttering under his breath, and added, "Do you want me to come find you guys and liven things up? I don't think that Straw Hat would appreciate that too much. Not that I'd care." The cursing on the other end of the receiver was quickly becoming hilarious. Law didn't lose his composure often, so Kidd was going to relish the other pirate's obvious misery. "Got quite a mouth on you, don't you?"

"Shut the hell up! It's nothing compared to yours."

Kidd grinned some more when he heard more voices began to come through on the other end of the receiver.

"Hey, Tra guy, who're you talking to?"

"Hey, stop that, don't!"

Law's protest obviously went unheeded, as Kidd heard Straw Hat's voice speaking directly to him.

"Hey, who's there?"

Law tried again, because his voice was in the background, still protesting, "It's Eustass-ya! Hang up!"

Kidd heard the Heard Pirate gasp as something apparently struck him, and another voice joined in that Kidd only vaguely recalled, "What did you call him for?"

Law's glum voice made Kidd bite back a snicker, "I didn't know it'd be him."

Luffy's voice came over the receiver again, though he was questioning his crew mates, and apparently Law, "Who's that again?"

Kidd was offended that Straw Hat didn't remember him, and was silent as Law tried to provide an answer that would get through to Luffy.

"Sabaody? Two years ago? He was the one in the auction house who said he'd take care of the marines for us, but we joined up outside with him to fight them. Remember that?" There was a short pause, before the Heart Pirate added, "The one who formed the alliance with Scratchmen and Hawkins. It was in the paper recently, remember?"

"Oh, that weird guy that uses all that metal."

Kidd scowled at the transponder snail, "You're weirder being made out of rubber, fool." Kidd was taken aback that Luffy laughed in response. It raised his ire, but Kidd attempted to not let the laughter get to him. He was more interested in something else at the moment, "Why are you on their ship, Trafalgar? Why aren't you on your own?"

Law's response was overridden by a very unhappy feminine voice, "Luffy! Hang up already! That's _Eustass Kidd_! You don't want someone like that getting a lock onto our position!"

It was a bit late for that, Kidd thought. After all, if Law had sent a distress signal, it meant that there wasn't much distance between their ships. But the woman that had spoken needn't worry about Kidd attacking. He was far more entertained by the idea of getting to Straw Hat's ship to gloat at Law. It was just too good to be true, and Kidd decided to go take a look, as Law's tone held a hint of desperation, his voice nearly cracking pleadingly over the receiver as someone hung up.

"Eustass-ya!"

Kidd grinned as he hung up as well. Law, begging for help from a rival? He definitely had to go and take a look now. It wasn't like he was going to start a fight unless Law or Straw Hat gave him reason to. For the time being, he didn't know whether Straw Hat would fight him on sight or not, so this was a good opportunity to go and laugh at Trafalgar's misfortune. After all, who would be stupid enough to hang around the Straw Hat Pirates, and form an alliance of all things, unless you wanted to go slowly insane? Luffy had already proven himself crazy enough two years ago. It seemed to hold true now as well.

Kidd stamped out of the cabin, in a much better mood, and called to those nearest to him, "Find Straw Hat's ship! We're gonna pay them a visit." The gleam in Kid's eyes held no room for argument, so none of his crew dared to ask questions, though they were all wondering just what their captain had in mind.

-x

Law really did want to die now, or at least be unconscious again, as he saw a ship pull up alongside the Thousand Sunny. Eustass Kidd had come after all, and the Heart Pirate highly doubted that he had actually come to help him. It was more like bask in his misery and laugh. Kidd didn't disappoint. As soon as he had come within range, he started to insult Law.

"Trafalgar! Just how far are you from completely losing your mind? I want to see that!" Kidd leaned on his ships railings, grinning wolfishly at Law.

Law twitched, his hand wrapping around his sword's hilt tightly. He had retrieved it as soon as he had managed to get out of the cabin, and away from the Straw Hats wondering why he had sent out a distress call. Noting the particularly wicked grin locked onto him, the Heart Pirate struggled to not allow himself to rise to the bait. He needed to keep a cool head, and not provoke the other man. Law didn't want a fight to break out, and cause a hell of a commotion, as would be the case with Kidd. It would be very unwise, since no one ever knew just who could be in the area.

"Why did you answer a distress call? What if it had been from the marines?" Law felt it was a valid question that came from the navigator of the Straw Hat's crew, and would momentarily distract Kidd, and perhaps stop the unpleasant leer that had appeared on the other's face.

Kidd glanced briefly at the speaker, the orange haired woman. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug, "I was bored. If it had been marines trying to set up a trap, I'd destroy 'em before they had a chance to fire a shot at my ship." Kidd turned back to Law, his leer more pronounced, "What were you thinking, Trafalgar? Hanging out with Straw Hat when you're supposed to be on the government's side? Maybe you are going crazy after all." Kidd's smile fled quickly as Law was suddenly perched on the railing of the Thousand Sunny, and had his sword out and left hand outstretched.

"I would advise against insulting me. I'm not in the mood for it." The Heart Pirate knew there was no backing down now. If it was a fight Kidd wanted, he'd give it to him and to hell with his plan for the time being. He wasn't going to let Kidd make fun of him if he could help it.

Kidd broke into a cool smile as he flexed his mechanical left arm, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Room." Law stated plainly, and gave Kidd a mocking smile in return, "Where'd your arm go to Eustass-ya? Run into a bigger badass than you who managed to lop it off?"

Kidd back stepped out of range of Law's clear dome, not smiling anymore as he flexed his arms and drew in anything metal he could reach, ignoring some protests that rose from his own crewmembers as some of them lost their weapons due to Kidd's magnetic pull. The Heart Pirate was asking for it for being such an arrogant son of a bitch. Kidd had almost forgotten that there were still people around who would dare to insult him, and think they could get away with it.

Law felt he _had_ to be going insane if he was stupid enough to start something with Kidd, and even more foolish to insult the other pirate captain. Law quickly dodged to the side to avoid being crushed by a mound of clustered metal objects, and slashed his blade at Kidd, missing as Kidd twisted midair and landed onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny to continue his impromptu duel with Law. The two completely ignored anyone else as they went back and forth, Law making a displeased sound in the back of his throat as Kidd tried to magnetically draw his sword from him.

"Not going to happen." The Heart Pirate said, unamused as he sheathed his blade and held on. Law grit his teeth as Kidd made another swing at him, looking to either land a hit, or strike the mast behind him. Neither spot would be good for Law's continued well-being, but there was nothing he could do about it. He didn't fancy being hit with sharp objects clustered together. It looked to be enough glinting metal to do a fair amount of damage.

Kidd smiled in anticipation of bashing the Heart Pirate with the metal he had gathered. There was nowhere for Law to dodge that Kidd couldn't instantly change directions. The bastard was going to get battered whether he liked it or not, and nothing he could do would help him. Or so Kidd thought. He came to a stumbling halt when Law smiled and suddenly vanished from view. Kidd was quick to sense that Law had ended up behind him, so Kidd swung around to block Law's swinging sword, cursing when the sword cut through half the gathered metal. Kidd met the Heart Pirate's smug smile, scowling as he took another swing, only to have the other vanish out of his sight again. Interesting. He hadn't known Law could teleport himself around. It had to be linked up to his Devil Fruit powers, so…

Kidd twisted around to the side, swinging what was left of the metal he'd gathered, grinning madly as Law was dropping through the air toward him, sword drawn back for another slash. Kidd could tell that the other wasn't fast enough, if the grim look that crossed Law's face was any indication.

So focused on causing the Heart Pirate pain for the insult about his arm, Kidd didn't realize that someone other than Law had noticed the potential danger to the ship with the fight. And just where part of the swinging metal from Kidd would go if he went through all the way to strike Law.

Kidd's moment of triumph was cut short as he suddenly found himself struck squarely in the chest by Straw Hat, Luffy's fist slamming mercilessly hard. Kidd had been entirely unprepared for the attack, so he couldn't prevent himself from flying nearly half way across the deck, the breath momentarily driven from his body from the hard strike. Kidd crashed to the deck, metal flying everywhere as his concentration was shot. The shock from the attack wore off in an instant, and Kidd was back on his feet. Gasping sharply and sucking in air, fury set in. Kidd leaned against the railing, eyeing Straw Hat murderously, about to focus his attention on him instead, when the freak weather of the new world struck.

The ship began to be battered by massive waves, and everyone aboard was thrown to the deck as the ship listed crazily. Unfortunately for Kidd, he made one misstep, at the wrong time, and ended up being pitched over the railing of the ship, and into the raging sea. Kidd only had time for one muffled cry of rage, before he was swept beneath the waves and out of view.

Law backed off when he noticed that Luffy had turned toward him, and after the display put on by Straw Hat, the Heart Pirate not in the mood to join Eustass in being punched. Law glanced over at the Kidd Pirates who were milling about on the deck at the sight of their captain taking a plunge into the sea, and realized that they were motioning to the sea and apparently arguing with one another as the ship was getting pushed further away due to the rough waves. Law noticed that Kidd was nowhere in sight, when he had been before, leaning against the railing of Straw Hat's ship and quickly regaining his breath. Suddenly the sight of Kidd's panicking crew made much more sense.

Luffy, now that the ship wasn't in danger of being damaged, suddenly realized that Kidd was missing as he straightened out of his fighting stance, "Hey, where did he go?"

Law sheathed his sword and rested it against his shoulder, "He fell into the sea." And Kidd was probably pissed as hell that he had even ended up there to begin with.

Luffy looked puzzled. He hadn't thought his punch would send the other captain flying so far, since he had thought he had_ avoided_ knocking him into the sea.

There was a short silence on the Thousand Sunny, before anyone spoke up.

"Is someone going to go get him before he drowns?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I will always like the first chapter the most, but I enjoyed writing out this idea. I will post the next part soon, after I've checked it over for anything OOC. For the sake of my sanity I'm spelling Kidd with two 'd's and using the 'ya' when Law addresses people, as I get confused with all the different ways the manga/anime is translated, and just what I should use.

I mainly split the chapters up to make them more manageable to edit (between 3500-5000 words for each chapter). This story is, again, for the fun of it, and therefore is going to end up more and more ridiculous, and hopefully in a good way. There are definitely a lot more fights that ended up being written. I might change things in the future if anything more about Kidd happens to turn up, but for now I'll leave it as is.


	3. Chapter 3

I forgot to mention at the end of the last chapter: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad things are IC, so I hope I can keep it up.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sanji looked over the side of the ship carefully, taking in the sight of the churning waves below, before he glanced over his shoulder, "Hey, Luffy, what do you…hey!" Sanji held tight to the railing to prevent Luffy's clap on the shoulder from throwing off his center of balance and toppling him in after Kidd. Sanji was about to demand what his crazy captain thought he was doing, when the answer was provided with typical Luffy logic.

"Hey, Sanji, go help him! He can't swim!"

Sanji eyed the vicious waves, "What? Why?"

Zoro stood nearby with his arms crossed, and seemed to be entirely unconcerned about the worrying change the weather had taken, as he kept himself upright on the listing ship. He gave Sanji a faint smirk, "What, you can't handle some waves, you idiot?"

"And you can, moss head?" Sanji growled back, bristling at the jab.

Law watched the exchange silently, holding onto both his sword and the railing as he cast his gaze to Kidd's ship. No one from Eustass' ship had jumped into the sea yet, meaning they were occupied for one reason or another. Law looked back to the two bickering men, who were by now nearly face to face, and frowned, "The longer you argue, the more likely Eustass-ya will drown."

Zoro and Sanji turned as one to glare at Law, obviously irritated that the Heart Pirate had dared to interrupt their very important argument.

"Who asked you?"

"Why do you care anyway? I thought you guys hated each other's guts."

Law looked away as he closed his eyes, "I don't particularly care, but I'd rather not have his crew attack us in revenge, as they'd likely see us as responsible if he drowns. It would cause more unnecessary delays."

Before either Zoro or Sanji could say anything to that, an ominous splash sounded, and both Straw Hats slowly turned together to peer over the railing. And what they saw made both of them sigh.

Sanji gripped the railings as he snapped over at the water at the flailing Luffy, "What the hell are you doing, you dumbass?! You can't swim!"

"Losing…strength." Luffy gasped before he sunk beneath the waves, hands clamping over his mouth. Before Luffy could begin to become concerned at the lack of air, two hands seized him. As his head broke the surface, Luffy grinned weakly at his friends, who were both soaking wet and scowling, "Hey guys. Sorry."

Sanji handed the arm he was gripping over to Zoro, so that the swordsman was the one holding their idiot captain above the water. The two exchanged a look as the blond shook his head, "I'll go get the other one." Sanji waded a bit away through the crashing waves, sighing in exasperation, "Devil Fruit users can be such a pain in the ass. They can drown far too easily if someone doesn't keep an eye on them." Sanji disappeared beneath the waves, where he held still for a moment as he allowed his body to get used to the crazy currents buffeting him to and fro.

Sanji soon righted himself and looked around quickly to spot the missing Kidd. The cook soon spotted the pirate captain in question sinking further and further down. Sanji began to swim as fast as he could against the current as he cursed inwardly. Why did Luffy always have to be so concerned about the well-being of his enemies when they weren't actively in a fight? Most of them wouldn't be so courteous in return.

-x

Back on the surface, Zoro paddled one handed back to the ship, his other arm looped firmly around Luffy's upper body, to ensure that the other's head stayed above water.

Luffy, still feeling weak from being in the sea, rested his head against Zoro's shoulder. He was incredibly hungry by now. He couldn't last much longer if he didn't have something to eat. Luffy eyed the arm in front of him silently, a slightly glazed look appearing in his eyes, "Mmm, meat…"

Zoro frowned at Luffy's seemingly fevered mumbling about food, and the green haired man thought that meant that the other might be sick. Zoro's concern vanished in an instant when he felt drool on his arm, followed by a bite.

"Meat…" Luffy drawled out in a long exhalation of breath as he tried to munch on Zoro's arm, "Kinda tough though…"

Zoro twitched, "Let go of my arm, you idiot! It isn't food!"

"But I'm hungry…"

Zoro glanced up at the Thousand Sunny, treading water as he jabbed a finger at Law. The swordsman tried to ignore his captain gnawing vigorously on his arm. "You! You're a doctor, right? If there's a problem with the other guy that shit cook is getting, you're dealing with it." Zoro promptly forgot about the Heart Pirate as he gripped the side of the ship and began to attempt to remove Luffy from his person, the teeth still clamped down on his arm.

"Meeaatt."

"What did I just tell you?!"

Law watched in absolute silence as the other Straw Hats helped their friends out of the water. The Heart Pirate covered his face partially with one hand at the sight of several of Straw Hat's crew mates trying to assist in the removal of Luffy from Zoro's arm. It was this kind of stupidity that was making him question his sanity. Straw Hat's actions were so baffling, Law mused, as the navigator managed to succeed in removing Luffy from the swordsman's arm with a swift swat to the head. Law dropped his hand and turned to stare glumly at the raging sea waves. He tried and failed to tune out the good-natured laughing and scolding about Luffy's attempt to eat his friend's arm in his search for a quick meal.

"You left a bite mark!" Zoro griped as he ran a hand over the spot, before he held it out to allow Chopper to take a look at it.

The short reindeer turned the arm this way and that, before giving his prognosis, "The skin isn't broken, but there might be a small bruise, though that'll clear up quickly."

Luffy stuck out his tongue with a disgruntled sound, "Bleh. Zoro, you don't taste good at all."

General laughter sounded as Zoro grumbled something in response, and stomped away to the cabins, followed closely by Chopper.

"Zoro, wait! I'm not done yet!"

Law stared up at the sky with a tortured look. The stupidity factor was quickly rising, and he could only set his jaw as Luffy suddenly decided to invade his personal space by sitting down right next to him.

"Hey, Tra-guy, are you hungry?" Luffy inquired, grinning as he watched Law bury his face in his hands with a groan.

When would it end? Kidd attacking and subsequently ending up in the sea was just one more complication that Law didn't need, and Luffy's laidback way of interacting with him (and ignoring _all_ his plans) was starting to get on his nerves.

"Hey, look, isn't that a huge, tasty looking fish?"

Law silently rose and dispatched said enormous fish, even as Luffy leaned over the railing with his mouth watering at the sight of it. Law smirked at the way Luffy's face fell, disappointment washing across his face as the fish vanished beneath the sea, his arm outstrethed.

"Nooo! Come back! I was going to eat you!"

Law shouldered his sword and sat back down, shaking his head even as the small smirk remained on his face.

Really. Just how many more things were going to delay their progress?

-x

Kidd was furious with what had just happened, but he was currently too weakened to make much of a fuss about it. Kidd was currently focused on trying to keep his mouth firmly shut to prevent sea water from forcing its way in. He loathed this weakened feeling all Devil Fruit users received when they fell into the sea. Kidd watched as the surface get further away, and wondered if his crew would be able to get to him. Most of them were quite good swimmers, mainly due to the fact that Kidd ended up in the sea more than he cared to admit; usually in the midst of a battle.

Kidd was battered by a rough current, which only served to further infuriate him. Kidd was going to get Straw Hat for this. Just what did that idiot think he was doing, interfering like that? He hadn't even been interested in starting a fight with the Straw Hats just yet. Kidd had only attacked the Heart Pirate because Trafalgar was being a jackass and had practically been begging for a beating. Kidd had just been returning the favor to show the other pirate captain that it wasn't a smart idea to insult him. Kidd had killed for such things in the past, and he probably could have kicked Law's skinny, lanky ass if no one had stepped in.

Kidd lost the battle to hold his breath, as sudden changes in the sea's current struck him more fiercely and drove out what little breath he had left. Kidd was beside himself with fury, but he could only flounder helplessly as he was forced to ingest the salty seawater. This would be quite a humiliating way to go, and it was never how he envisioned himself dying, if at all.

Just as Kidd thought he might actually drown, he felt someone grab him. He twitched in response, but other than that, Kidd felt himself fading quickly, and offered no resistance whatsoever to whoever had seized him. At the very least, they were attempting to prevent him from drowning, and Kidd could only hope that it was one of his own crewmates.

Kidd soon felt cool air on his face, which meant that he was at least partially out of the water, since he still had no strength to move. His eyes had closed at some point, and he couldn't force them open to see who was holding him partially around the middle and by the shoulder. Damn body ignoring him. Kidd couldn't take a breath, and that seemed wrong. He should be sucking in air like crazy. Why the hell were his lungs being so damn useless?

There was a strange sensation of being hauled up and over something, but as soon as his body was out of the water, Kidd felt a whole lot better. His body was just being a lazy son of a bitch and not responding to the desperate need for oxygen. Kidd felt his back come into contact with something hard, and he assumed that it was a deck. Good, he was back on his ship then. He could take a rest, and then deal with both Straw Hat and Law for this embarrassment.

-x

Sanji rested his back against the railing, frowning when he found that his pack of cigarettes in his pocket was saturated from his swim.

Since the reindeer doctor was in one of the cabins with Zoro, Law resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to be the one do something to keep the dumbass on the ground from drowning from all the sea water he'd unwillingly taken in. If the cook and the swordsman hadn't gotten into their little argument, they would have been able to get Kidd out of the water sooner. The fact that the red head was sprawled out on his back and unresponsive to being jostled around wasn't a good sign. Law sighed. Kidd was going to want to kill him for this, but gaining the other man's ire would be far better than having Kidd's whole crew after them if he or the Straw Hats let him die instead.

As Law knelt down next to the motionless Kidd and checked for a pulse, he reflected on how sometimes he hated the fact that he was a doctor, no matter how convenient it was to not have to worry about locating one. Finding a faint pulse, Law went to work.

It figured that Eustass would be too damn stubborn to die from something like drowning.

-x

Kidd let out a thin sound of discomfort as something pressed down on his chest, hard. Fuck, that hurt. Who the hell was doing that? His right hand twitched, but other than that he lay still. It was then that Kidd realized he really wasn't taking in any air, at all. Dammit. The loss of air was doing odd things to Kidd's thought process, and instead of worrying about potentially drowning, he got angry. It was downright infuriating to be unable to do anything.

Kid squirmed inwardly as he felt someone's lips meet his own. Who in the _fuck_ was kissing him? He was dying here, and if it had been within Kidd's power, he would have punched whoever it was. He couldn't breathe, so what the hell were they doing? It took a few moments for it to register in his mind that the person was preforming CPR. Kidd twitched again as the pressure on his chest returned. Oh, so he must have ingested more seawater than he had originally thought. Kidd supposed he could handle CPR, depending on which of his crew members was doing it. He'd rather not die from something as pathetic as drowning. It would be too ironic for being a Devil Fruit user.

Kidd finally felt nauseous after a few more chest compressions and breaths being forced into him, and that was when whoever was giving him CPR rolled him on his side and gave his back a hefty smack. Kidd expelled water gratefully, while at the same time cursing the sea for its sudden decision to cause ridiculous current changes. Kidd started to cough harshly, and supposed he had to be grateful to whoever was holding him up and patting his back methodically to get rid of any lingering traces of unneeded water. Kidd began to gasp in breaths of air, fighting back the urge to shake. He still felt weak in the limbs, but he figured a near death experience would do that.

As Kidd was plotting all the terrible, destructive things he could do to both Law and Straw Hat, a low chuckle sounded near his ear. Kidd's thoughts ground instantly to a halt as dread slowly began set in. No, he wouldn't have… Kidd glanced out of the corner of his eye, and saw Trafalgar smiling smugly at him. Kidd stuttered out the first thing that came to mind, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?

Law grimly bore Kidd's weight as the other shifted to look around, apparently not latching onto the fact that the Heart Pirate was half holding him up.

Kidd immediately noticed that he wasn't on his ship, and since he hadn't been given CPR by any of his crew members, and Law was the closest one to him, it had to be his doing. Kidd knew that the other pirate captain was a doctor, so it would make sense that he knew how to perform CPR. Kidd recoiled as though burned as he freed himself from Law's support, sitting down hard on the deck. Law's grin of amusement at his reactions made Kidd's blood boil. He didn't even care that the Heart Pirate had just saved his sorry ass from drowning. Trafalgar had had the gall to give him mouth to mouth resuscitation. Kidd was going to _kill him_ for this.

"Captain Kidd!"

Scowling darkly at a still smiling Law, Kidd forced himself up. He managed to stagger over to the side of the ship, where he leaned heavily against the railing. Kidd spotted his ship trying to sail closer, only to be pushed back by the churning sea. Kidd studied the sky. It looked like a nasty storm was brewing. Kidd knew there was no way it would be safe to use a small dinghy to get to his own ship, and he figured that the Straw Hats wouldn't give him one anyway without a fight. And thanks to his near drowning and Devil Fruit powers, it was out of the question to try and swim back to his ship. Kidd wasn't happy as he shouted over the whipping wind, "Go anchor the ship, you dumbasses, before it sinks!" Hearing his less than enthused crew respond, Kidd watched as his ship sailed off without him. Great. Now he was trapped on a ship with two of his enemies. Wasn't that just fucking wonderful?

Kidd focused his ire on Law, a nasty smile spreading across his face. Before he could utter a word, however, Straw Hat came out of nowhere, bumping into Kidd and toppling him over to the deck. Kidd cursed profusely. He wasn't quite back to full strength it seemed. Kidd rolled over and glared at Straw Hat, "Why did you interfere earlier? I wasn't even fighting with you or your crew!"

Luffy indicated the dents in the deck, before he crossed his arms and spoke matter of fact, "I didn't want you wrecking the ship."

Kidd stared wordlessly at the other captain, wondering just what was wrong with him. Luffy had merely been protecting the ship? Kidd clenched his right hand into a fist as fury rose within him. He'd nearly _drowned_ because Straw Hat hadn't wanted him putting dents in his precious ship? Straw Hat was definitely crazier than Kidd initially thought he'd been, especially with an attitude like that. Ships could be easily repaired if one had the money. People, not so much.

Nami spoke calmly, completely ignoring the fuming Kidd, "We should head inland too. With the air pressure the way it is, the storm could become a hurricane at any moment, and we don't want to get caught in that." She held up a hand, "See? It's started to rain."

Kidd was left all alone with Law, speechless as the Straw Hats dispersed to guide the Thousand Sunny to a small island that could be seen in the distance. Kidd scowled as turned to lock eyes with Law's. The new world's weather was proving itself to be very unstable and unpredictable as usual, and it couldn't have picked a more inconvenient time.

Law broke eye contact first as he sat down with his back against the nearby mast, his sword over his shoulder as he stared at the deck, "There's no point in getting into a fight right now, Eustass-ya."

"Why not?" Kidd's temper abated somewhat, conceding the point, even if he wasn't happy about it. After all, it was going to take quite a long time to forget about the whole CPR thing, and Kidd hated to think that he now owed the Heart Pirate for saving his life. Kidd would have liked nothing more than to fight out his frustration.

"You're trapped now too, until the storm passes and your crew comes back for you."

Kidd furrowed his brow at Law, "The Straw Hats can't be that bad." Seeing the dead look the Heart Pirate wore, Kidd smiled darkly, "If it's that much of a problem, I can deal with Straw Hat for you."

"I'll do it on my own at some point, thanks. You probably couldn't handle him anyway."

Kidd twitched, anger taking over again, "Oh? I don't think it's going to be possible for you to do. If you can't get your little room up, you're useless in a fight."

Law tilted his head, still not quite looking up at the red head. Though the insult irritated him, he changed the subject, "How do you feel, anyway? You took in quite a bit of sea water."

Kidd looked at him haughtily, even as he disguised a traitorous cough, "I'm fine. Your doctor act is annoying. If I wanted your help, I would have asked for it." Kidd stifled another cough, "And I wouldn't have in the first place."

Law finally glanced up as he studied the other man silently, "It's not an act, and I really doubt you would have been able to ask for help, as you were." Law gave Kidd a level look as he heard yet another cough, "If you keep coughing like that, you should think of taking a rest." All Law received was a glower and a bearing of teeth, but he wasn't intimidated in the least, "Sit down, Eustass-ya. You really _should _rest after nearly drowning. Most people would be unconscious or dead, even after CPR."

Kidd took on an interesting shade of pink as he stomped forward and grabbed Law by the front of his sweater, hauling the Heart Pirate to his feet, "Don't you _ever_ bring that up!" As an after-thought, Kidd added, "And don't tell me what to do, you son of a bitch!"

Law was outwardly calm, even though he was ready to draw his weapon in a moment's notice, "Does it really bother you that much that I saved you? I'd think you'd be a little grateful that I didn't let the reindeer give you CPR."

A faint flush of anger and embarrassment crossed Kidd's face, "I said not to bring that up!" Law was just asking for trouble if he wouldn't shut the hell up about it already.

The Heart Pirate was unamused, and he really didn't appreciate that Kidd had tightened his grasp on his sweater. Law supposed he was relieved that Kidd hadn't just seized him around the neck to choke him. The red head was perfectly capable of that, but Law pushed that unpleasant thought away as he glared back at Kidd, "And I've already told _you _numerousnot to tell me what to do." Ignoring the warning growl that issued from the other man, Law continued, "Would you have rather died? I just assumed that you wouldn't want to die from something like that, caused by Straw Hat not paying attention, or was I wrong?"

Kidd snarled something utterly incoherent, unsure whether he wanted to bash the Heart Pirate's head against the mast, or just shake him for a bit, since he couldn't exactly kill the damn bastard after he'd just saved him. Kidd's decision was prevented from being made as Luffy went careening past them both, forcing Kidd to release Law if he wanted to avoid being bowled over. The two pirate captains watched as the third went flying off the side of the ship without a second's thought.

Law had been so focused on dealing with his sudden, unwanted patient that he hadn't realized that the Thousand Sunny had come to a halt. Dread began to sit in as he inquired in a low tone, "Eustass-ya?"

Kidd felt a bit of a sinking feeling, the CPR incident forgotten for the time being. He was beginning to have an inkling as to just how Law had been feeling when he sent off his distress signal, "What?"

"We just dropped anchor, didn't we?" Law slumped back down to rest his back against the mast again. He knew he shouldn't be surprised that that was the case, especially with the storm raging just a few ship lengths away. The Heart Pirate couldn't help but have a dire sense of foreboding.

The perturbed tone Law spoke in gave Kidd pause as he peered over the side of the ship and found that they had indeed anchored. Kidd turned to examine the resigned look on Law's face, and had the uneasy feeling that if something bothered Trafalgar this much, then perhaps he should be slightly concerned as to why that was.

It wasn't like the other man to act in such a way. Kidd wondered just what was it about the Straw Hat Pirates that had gotten under the Surgeon of Death's skin, and whether he should be concerned about something happening to himself. It was an unexpected turn of events, and Kidd wasn't sure what to expect, other than the potential craziness that the Straw Hats might concoct.

Law wore a forlorn expression as he languidly stood up and trudged over to stand alongside the other captain to take in where they had anchored. Law just couldn't fathom how he and the Straw Hats hadn't gotten to their next destination yet. There was only so much time they could waste, and Law felt that there was something fishy in the way that Doflamingo had given in so easily to his demands. The tall man would no doubt have some unpleasantness planned in return for Law daring to interfere with his plans, so he'd have to be ready for anything.

Neither Kidd nor Law had much time to think about the implications of anchoring, as they both watched Sanji, Zoro and Nami pass by them to leave the ship to follow after their captain. Luffy was already far ahead of them, whooping in excitement at what could be found on the island while they waited for fairer weather.

Kidd sneered at the sight. Why were the Straw Hats were even bothering going to the island in the first place? It wasn't like the storm was going to last the whole day. Kidd side glanced at the glum Law, and his sneer deepened. Perhaps now would be a good time to settle things with Law from earlier, before Straw Hat had the chance to come back and knock him off balance again. Kidd had no desire to take another unexpected dip in the sea, and Kidd figured that the Heart Pirate must know that he might try something. Therefore, Kidd was completely surprised when Law hopped up onto the railing of the ship with his sword over his shoulder, and watched the Straw Hats progress on the beach in resignation.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kidd swiftly leaned to the right to avoid being smacked in the side of the head by Law's sheathed sword, and instead of becoming angry at the sudden swing, grinned at what Law did next. The other captain jumped into the shallows, and trudged through the seawater to the sandy beach, heading in the direction the Straw Hats had gone in. Kidd rested against the railing, calling after the other in a mocking way, "What, you gonna to go babysit them?" Kidd didn't actually expect a response, and when he did get one, he was highly amused.

"Someone has to make sure they don't make a loud racket and draw attention to us. We _are_ trying to avoid detection." Law paused and glanced over his shoulder up at Kidd, "Why don't you stay on the ship and try not to drown?" Law picked up his pace a little, expecting the other captain to take that as a challenge.

Kidd seethed as he glared at the retreating Heart Pirate's back. Skinny bastard, trying to order him around. Kidd gripped the railing of the ship, thinking to hoist himself up and over, when a voice hailed him.

"Hey! Are you all right? Don't you need to rest? You nearly drowned!"

Kidd glanced over his shoulder, frowning at the sight of the little anthropomorphic animal, "What the fuck are you? A raccoon? Why the hell do they have a pet on board for?"

Chopper puffed up indignantly, "I'm a reindeer!"

Kidd let go of the railing as he turned to study the short blue-nosed animal, "You sure as hell don't look like one, and you didn't answer the question!"

"What?" Chopper thought about it, and then gasped, offended, "I'm not a pet! I'm the doctor for this ship!"

Kidd eyed Chopper dubiously, but before he could say or do anything else, a coughing fit took over, driving him to the deck as he struggled to regain control over his lungs.

Chopper panicked, "Hey! See? You shouldn't go off the ship! You haven't fully recovered!"

Kidd waved off the annoying little creature, "I'm fine." Even if he was still coughing, he wasn't going to let it keep him down. Kidd took a few breaths, before he stood tall, and stared down his nose at Chopper, daring the little creature to say anything more about taking a rest. He had no time for that kind of nonsense. He had a smartass pirate captain to put in line.

Chopper shook a little in intimidation at the cold way Kidd was looking down at him, but his doctor's training had already kicked in, and whether or not Kidd was an enemy meant nothing to him. He wanted to help, but Kidd seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with him. Chopper protested as Kidd hoisted himself up and over the ship's railing, dropping into the shallows with a curse. Chopper hopped up to watch, before he went scrambling for his bag. Kidd really shouldn't be moving around so much. He could run into problems in the immediate future if there _was_ any remaining seawater in his body.

-x

Kidd swayed as he hit the water with a loud splash, his lip curling in distaste when he found that it came up to his knees. Kidd clenched his right hand into a fist as he sloshed to shore, relieved when he set foot on dry land. That was when the annoying little animal on the ship began calling after him.

"Hey! Stop! Are you trying to wreck your health?"

Kidd ignored the high pitched voice as he headed up through the sand, stifling a few coughs in the crook of his arm. When it passed, Kidd prowled in the direction the Heart Pirate had gone, thinking they could settle their fight on this deserted looking island. Kidd paused before the closely clumped together trees that Law had just shoved his way past minutes earlier. Damn. Kidd _really_ didn't feel like taking a hike through unknown terrain, but maybe something interesting would happen. Perhaps Straw Hat or Law would be eaten by some large animal on the island, though that would then mean that Kidd couldn't laugh at Law's off kilter behavior caused by Straw Hat's behavior, or give some payback to Luffy for nearly causing him to drown from being overly protective of his ship.

Kidd supposed that seeing Law going crazy and beating Straw Hat around a little was too good an opportunity to pass up. The red head turned to survey the stormy weather over the sea. There would be a few good hours before it would pass. He could be mistaken. Kidd snorted softly as he turned back toward the cluster of trees before him. It seemed more like a winter forest than a tropical one, and Kidd again found the new world to be a pain in the ass. At least there were more challenges to be had, but he could do without the damn extreme weather. A little trudging around the island should allow him to get his breath under control and get the irritating coughing to go away.

-x

Chopper had changed into his Walk Point, and had leapt off the ship with his medical gear on hand. As soon as Chopper reached the sandy beach, he galloped in the direction that Kidd had gone. Regardless of whether or not Kidd wanted help, Chopper felt he had to at least try. From what he had seen when he'd come out of the cabin, and saw how long Law had to perform CPR, Kidd could potentially still be hit with after effects of taking in so much water, and being deprived of oxygen. He was lucky that he hadn't had a heart attack on top of it.

Chopper paused just outside the forest, scuffing the ground nervously with his hooves. He hoped that there weren't scary monsters living on the seemingly peaceful island. A rustling sound caught Chopper's attention, and he let out a little yelp, rushing off into the forest without any thought. Chopper ended up going straight past Kidd, and it would take Chopper some time before he found anyone.

The rustling had been caused by Usopp, who had decided to go and take a look at the island, to see if there were any useful materials. He'd watched Chopper's panicked bolt, but didn't think much of it as he put it from his mind.

Chopper was probably just going after Luffy and the others. There was no need to worry.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I don't know, there's just something about One Piece that makes me type freakishly long chapters. 'Cause, you know, my average is 2,500. And I make assumptions/improvise a bit with some of the character interaction, especially between Kidd and some of the Straw Hat Pirates.

I am adjusting some of the 'plot' or lackthereof. Chapters 2-4 (or 5) mostly come from the main idea of 'what can I do to torment Law' and this current idea of 'who would be amused by his misery.' The next one/two chapters have more action in them, because I wanted to work on writing battle scenes (with humor thrown in) and One Piece is perfect for that because there can be a fight at the drop of a hat.


	4. Chapter 4

Law followed after Straw Hat and his crew at a leisurely pace, acutely aware of his surroundings on the unfamiliar island terrain. Law chose to ignore the thought that Kidd could come crashing through the trees after him to pick a fight over trying to order him around. The Heart Pirate silently took in the sights, like the overly colorful plants here and there amongst the more winter like trees and pines. The contrast was rather odd looking. Law readjusted his grip on his sheathed blade as he passed by a small clearing, where a few very large hybrid animals were snoozing in a patch of sunlight. He supposed wild animals were better than running across other pirates that could carry news away about their whereabouts.

Law skirted a few fallen trees, and bypassed a suspicious looking body of water. Law eyed it warily for a few moments, before discerning that it was what he thought it was; a small pool of sea water that had forced its way up through the grass and sand. He glanced up at the sky through the foliage. Law felt distinctly hypersensitive, and it wasn't the small body of sea water or the animals that were bothering him. There was something else that made Law uneasy, and he couldn't put his finger on it. It had to be something about the island, because he hadn't been feeling like this until after he had gotten off of Straw Hat's ship. It was almost as if there was something watching him, and an invisible crawling sensation was settling squarely between his shoulder blades. Law's body tensed in response, as if he were expecting an imminent attack.

Law ran his gaze over the immediate area, intent on finding the source of his unease. However, there was nothing to be seen, other than a few of the creatures that lived on the island lumbering by, more or less ignoring him. Law let out a low sigh, tension leaving his body. He must be imagining things. If there had been anyone watching him, they would have likely made their presence known as soon as they noticed he was alone. Law was being paranoid, and it didn't help that Straw Hat and his crew were already making him question his sanity. The feeling of being watched did not leave him, and Law, aware of it, continued on his way.

An hour later…

Law let out a disgruntled sound when he emerged from some trees and spotted the beach and the sea. He must have come out on another side of the island, because Straw Hat's ship wasn't in view. Law studied the sea silently, noting that a storm was still raging just off the coast of the island. Law turned to go back into the forest, when he halted and did a double take. There was another ship anchored in the shallows, much smaller than Straw Hat's, but still decently sized. Law didn't recognize the Jolly Roger that was flapping wildly in the wind, and felt that that was a good sign.

Law heard rustling behind him and he turned away from the sight of the ship, hand on the hilt of his blade as he surveyed the area around him once more. There were a few smaller animals scampering by, but the rustling had stopped almost as soon as it had begun. Law hated the feeling of being watched, so he spoke aloud in a demanding tone, "Who's there?"

Silence greeted the Heart Pirate's demand, though the sound of wildlife continued.

Law's hand dropped from the hilt as he shook his head. He was imagining things. He'd almost sworn he heard a mocking laugh, but there was no one in sight, and he didn't sense anyone. Law ran a hand over his face. There were logical explanations to be had for what he was feeling. He'd have to look into it if he had to spend more than a day on this island. There was something in the atmosphere of the island that seemed to confuse one's senses, and make them imagine things, or make it seem like one was being watched.

Law started to walk back the way he had come, angling slightly to take himself down another path in search of his temporary allies. If Law could, he would bring Straw Hat's doctor with him to check into his theory of the island's climate and atmosphere bringing up minor hallucinatory visions. Law couldn't help but glance over his shoulder whenever he heard an unexpected sound, or the rustle coming from the foliage around him. The dense leaves of the main population of trees made it difficult to see the upper branches, which made it a perfect place for a predator to launch an ambush.

Law halted at a particularly loud rustle and after looking around warily, relaxed his poise. He had been ready to draw forth his weapon should anything jump out at him. He was overreacting. Law doubted that anyone of importance would have come to this peculiar little island. If he did happen to come across someone that wasn't whom he had come to the island with, Law felt he could handle it. It was useful being a warlord, though with it getting out that he had entered into an alliance with the Straw Hats, it was debatable just how long he would remain one.

Law curled a hand around the hilt of the blade resting against his shoulder, and held it close as he continued on his way. He would worry about these kinds of things once he was back on the sea and on the way to Dressrosa. Right now, he had to locate Straw Hat and the others, because knowing them, they'd be able to find some way to make whoever else could be on the island notice them. Perhaps by making something explode, despite there being no ammunition on the island. Law wouldn't put it past them, knowing what they were capable of.

Above in the canopy, something glinted in the sunlight. The glint tilted to one side as it watched the Heart Pirate's progress, and as soon as Law was out of view, the glint vanished as someone moved silently amongst the dense upper foliage of the tree.

Law hadn't been imagining the laugh from earlier, and if he had heard it and realized that it was coming from the canopy of the trees, the Heart Pirate would have been scrambling to remove himself from the island as fast as was humanly possible.

-x

Law thought that he would reach another end of the island without coming across anyone again, when he heard voices up ahead, arguing loudly. Even with as short a time he had spent with them, Law could instantly tell that the voices belonged to Straw Hat and his crew. Law came to a halt at the edge of the forest, hesitating to enter the clearing that was there as he watched the three Straw Hats bickering with one another. Taking a deep breath, and telling himself that he was doing this for the good of the alliance, Law walked forward nonchalantly. He didn't say a word as he drew nearer, because by then he was able to pick up on the conversation.

"And I'm telling you that Nami shouldn't be by herself!"

"You just want to go with her to ogle her, pervert cook!"

Law sighed inwardly as he stopped near where Luffy was standing, eying Zoro and Sanji with a critical eye, and wondered why he had to be present for such a ridiculous conversation. Law was fairly certain that the navigator could take care of herself perfectly well. There didn't seem to be anything dangerous enough on the island to worry about it.

Luffy was looking back and forth between Zoro and Sanji, "Hey, we should go exploring! There could be a lot of meat here!" He pouted a little when he noticed that he was being ignored.

Sanji turned away, striding off, "I'm going to go make sure she is all right! Nothing had better have happened to her while talking to you, moss head!"

Zoro wasn't going to push the point, deciding to let the blond go be stupid on his own. The swordsman glanced to the side sharply, rethinking that decision,"Hey, cook."

Sanji paused, looking around the edge of the clearing, tensing, "Something's coming."

Law watched as two of the larger creatures he had spotted earlier burst through the cluster of trees and into the clearing with vicious snarls. Well, at least he had been right about the Straw Hats being able to bring things down upon themselves either through words or actions. The Heart Pirate wasn't quite sure what to think of the cook's reaction.

Sanji raced toward one of the large creatures, dodging its gaping maw as he hopped into the air. Sanji came crashing down on the animal's head with a precisely aimed, and very deadly, kick.

Law could almost see the fire spouting off from the blond as he kicked the creature a few more times, roaring angrily as the poor beast was driven into the ground.

"How dare you try and keep me from Nami!"

Law glanced from the one sided, sadly pathetic beating, to see how the swordsman would act.

Zoro faced the creature bearing down on him calmly, one hand gripping a katana hilt. He leapt up the creature's arm, and into the air above, "One sword style…" Zoro drew out his katana in a flash and swung the blade down, "Dragon Quake!" Zoro landed a short distance away, sheathing his blade calmly as the partially decapitated beast collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

Law supposed he wasn't at all surprised by Straw Hat's crewmates' actions, nor what followed after as Luffy looked the creatures over.

"These look tasty."

Sanji examined the creature he'd done in, and gave a superior smirk to Zoro, who stood a short distance away, "The one I killed is bigger than yours."

Zoro looked between the two fallen creatures, and crossed his arms, apparently thinking hard. At length, he spoke, "Yours has horns, and that's what makes it look bigger. That doesn't count."

"That animal is smaller than mine." Sanji announced, narrowing his eyes and daring Zoro to challenge the claim.

Zoro took him up on it as the swordsman crossed the distance between them, "Your eyes must be going if you can't figure out that creature there is smaller than that one."

"Your vision is the one that is going. At least I have two eyes."

Sparks flew between the two men as they fell into a heated debate at just how to measure dead animals.

Law watched the exchange with a look of utter confusion, not understanding what the deal was, while Luffy just laughed at his friends' antics.

Luffy looked over to the animals being argued over, and then turned to Law, who was standing silently next to him, "Hey, Tra-guy." Seeing the confused expression turned his way, Luffy continued as he motioned at the dead animals, "Don't they look really, really tasty?"

Law glanced at the almost decapitated, spike covered creature, whose hide was undoubtedly tough, and then the other one, that looked like a poisonous bear with jellyfish stingers. Only Straw Hat would think those things looked like something to eat. Seeing that yet again Luffy was expecting a response, Law responded in monotone, "…I suppose so…"

Luffy grinned, while ignoring the fact that Zoro and Sanji's verbal argument had transformed into a fight with weapons over who killed the largest animal. Luffy and Law turned as the foliage rustled, and just as Law was thinking that it was whatever had been following him around, Luffy let out an excited whoop as a creature larger than either of the others came into the clearing, "Wow, that's a lot of meat!"

Law watched as the enormous creature came partway into the clearing, and picked up the corpses, one in its jaw, and the other clasped by a paw, before drawing back.

"Hey! That's my meat! Put it down!"

Law resisted the urge to shake his head, though he did stiffen when he noticed that Luffy's upset expression turned into one of anger. That was weird. "Straw Hat-ya…" Law drifted off as Luffy whirled on his feet and stomped toward his crewmates, yelling and interrupting the short bout that had begun between Zoro and Sanji.

"Zoro! You let the food get taken away!"

Law leaned against a tree, appalled at what followed next, as Luffy took a swing at Zoro. Law couldn't believe that he had allied himself with such strange people. What captain would get into a fight with his one of his own crew over something so stupid? It was baffling, but at least it served as a brief distraction from thoughts about the island's seemingly peculiar effect on him…

Law gasped in sudden realization. He hadn't even requested that they all head back to the ship, and was instead waiting for the Straw Hats to finish. Law stared down at the ground as he reevaluated the choices he had made up until that point. He was seriously starting to lose it, and he feared what more could be done to draw him further into Straw Hat's craziness, if it hadn't already ensnared him completely.

-x

Chopper slowed to a canter, before stopping altogether, once he noticed that no one was actually chasing after him. Chopper looked back and forth, gasping when he noticed that he was all alone, or so he thought. Chopper changed back into his normal form, fretting a little. He wanted to find Kidd before the other ended up hurting himself from overexertion, but that seemed unlikely to happen any time soon, since he had no idea which way he had gone.

Chopper sniffed the air, before wrinkling his nose. Something smelled, like when his friends forgot to shower themselves. Chopper perked up and walked in the direction of the scent he picked up on. Maybe it was Luffy and the others, even though he didn't recall any of them smelling like they needed a bath. Maybe it had been harder to tell on the ship.

Chopper pushed past a few bushes, before he tripped on a root, and ended up flat on the ground. Chopper ran a hoof over his nose, wincing a little, before he lay still as unfamiliar voices reached his ears. Chopper tilted his head. Who was it? Chopper froze as a group of what appeared to be pirates came to a halt just a few feet from where he had tripped. The humanoid reindeer became concerned the longer the pirates talked, as he remembered that the pirates vaguely resembled the ones that had burst into the tavern the day before on the other island.

-x

"Captain Mediocre! Do you really think they came to this island?" One pirate questioned, looking distinctly unhappy that his head was currently being held by another crew member. No one had yet figured out whose mismatched body parts belonged to whom. Not that they had tried to remove body parts from the wrong places, due to the fear that it might cause irrevocable damage. Hence the group's need to locate Trafalgar Law and get the Warlord to change them back to normal. The demoralized crew couldn't be expected to go pirating in such a state.

The pirate, Captain Mediocre, hated his name with an unholy passion, and had left home as soon as he could to spite his navy father. If his parents were going to dare to name him as such a thing, it served them right that he became a pirate in retaliation.

"Captain Mediocre?"

Mediocre whirled on his crewmate with a snarl, "I've told you not to call me that! I've told you idiots constantly, over and over, to call me 'sir' or 'captain.' Not Mediocre!"

"But captain, that's what everyone calls us. It's even on your bounty." One of the crew hesitantly pointed out.

"It's my father's fault! He's the one that dubbed us the Mediocre Pirates! It wasn't my choice! I refuse to acknowledge it!" Mediocre was so far in denial that he hadn't even realized that his crew felt profound pity for him, and his unfortunate name.

After all, what pirate band would want to be known as mediocre? Sure, it would work to their advantage if they were powerful and struck fear into their enemy's hearts after engaging in battle. The reality was that it described them perfectly, and the state they were in only served to depress them further that they were never going to be better than average.

In the bushes, unbeknownst to the gathered pirates, Chopper was crying at the story of woe being played out before him.

Mediocre shifted uncomfortably, as he side glanced at himself, "I'm going to teach that bastard a thing or two. He won't get away with this." He would ignore his name for now, as he focused on something far more important.

The gathered pirates eyed their captain in the body he had been switched to, and the crew member that was in his own body apologized, "Sorry captain, I didn't think the warlord would do this."

Mediocre put his hands on his hips, "Never mind that, we should have known better than to try and defy a warlord."

The crew exchanged glances, knowing that the crew mate was actually apologizing for Captain Mediocre ending up in her voluptuous body. No one said anything, because the other two women in the crew were practically daring them to try and get their captain to show off his temporary body. It was an unspoken rule amongst the Mediocre Pirates to look but not touch, and the men were so grateful to see something feminine on the sea every day that they acquiesced to the request.

Captain Mediocre was currently thinking of revenge for what had been done to himself and his crew. He waved the sword he'd retrieved from his body high in the air, "Let's go make that damn warlord pay! Straw Hat too, for not even acknowledging our existence!"

The crew roared their agreement. Mediocre might be a coward, but he was unstoppable once he made his mind up.

Chopper, even though he had sympathized with the other pirate group's plight, felt that he needed to warn his friends. He changed into his Walk Point once again, and, with a single bound, leapt through the undergrowth and right past the pirates.

The Mediocre Pirates watched as Chopper got further away from them, before someone spoke aloud, "Do you think this place is cursed?"

Mediocre snorted, "Don't be stupid. It was just an animal."

"But captain, it was wearing clothes and carrying a bag!"

There was a short silence as that sunk in, before another of the crew spoke up.

"It kind of resembled the animal that was with Straw Hat."

Mediocre swung the sword again, changing his mind, "After the animal! It'll lead us to Straw Hat and the others!"

The crew fell into step after their captain in his very attractive form, shouting and hollering as they bore down on their target.

Chopper, galloping further ahead, panicked again now that he was actually being chased, "Ahh! Why're they following after me?! I thought they were looking for Luffy or Law!"

-x

Approximately two hours of hiking through a heavily wooded area made Kidd think that he should have considered staying behind on the ship after all. He had to pause every so often, stopped by a coughing fit. When it passed, Kidd felt less than pleased, and wondered what the bloody hell was wrong with his body. He had gotten all the sea water out, hadn't he? Maybe he should have taken that rest, but he wasn't going to, because Trafalgar had been the one to suggest it, as well as that weird animal from Straw Hat's crew. Kidd took a steadying breath and continued on. Whatever. He wouldn't be able to show his face to his crew if a little thing like almost dying interfered with his day to day activities.

Kidd looked up sharply as he heard something coming closer, the rustling sound becoming louder and louder. Kidd clenched his right hand, feeling around for anything metal in the area. Before he could settle on the metal that he was sensing, a fucking enormous reindeer came bolting out of the surrounding trees, plowing right into him. Kidd was hit with enough force that it knocked him over to the ground on his back, his breath driven out of his body for the second time that day.

Kidd coughed and gasped for air, propping himself up on his shoulders as his eyes focused on the small reindeer sprawled on his chest. "What the hell was that for?" Even Straw Hat's crewmates were crazy, it seemed.

Chopper shook himself out of his daze, and took stock of where he was. He'd run into something…Chopper let out a little 'eep' and scrambled off the irritated red head. "Ah! Sorry! I was running from other pirates!"

Kidd frowned down at the other, "But you _are_ a pirate." Kidd blinked, and then scowled. Why the fuck would he care about something stupid like that? He was being distracted from his quest to find Trafalgar and Straw Hat.

Chopper realized that he had run into Kidd, whom he had left the ship to find in the first place. Chopper completely forgot about the fact that he was being chased, "A…Are you all right?"

The annoying creature was still worried about his health? Kidd let out a huff, "Go away, I'm fine. A little cough ain't gonna kill me." As soon as the words slipped out, Kidd was hit with another coughing fit, this time bad enough that it caused him to partially collapse from his propped up position.

"See?" Chopper said worriedly, moving forward to try and help, only to freeze in place as the Mediocre Pirates caught up with him.

"Hey animal! Take us to Straw Hat!"

"No, to the warlord! Get him to change us back to normal!"

Chopper jumped comically, his arms waving in panic, "I'd already forgotten about them!"

The Mediocre Pirates came to a grinding halt upon spotting Kidd and his scowling visage. They sure as hell knew who the red head was, and none of them had a death wish. However, as soon as they noticed that Kidd hadn't made a move to attack, and deduced that Kidd appeared to not be feeling well, caution was thrown out the window. The overconfidence that followed was a very, very bad idea to the continued health and existence of the Mediocre Pirates.

"You look like shit, Captain Kidd." Mediocre said nastily, idly twirling his sword as he took in the sight, "Maybe our rep would soar if we took care of someone with such a high bounty as yourself."

The crew backed up their captain. No one realized that with every word that left their mouth, they were only hastening their own demise, because Kidd would not take the verbal abuse lying down, no matter how shitty he was feeling.

"Yeah, he don't look too tough now."

"What's the matter, big guy? You lose a fight and can't go on living?"

"Careful boys, he looks like he's gonna attack."

"Looks more like he's gonna keel over."

"You need a nap, _kid_?"

If the Mediocre Pirates thought they could do anything to capture or defeat Kidd, they were living in another universe. They'd already sealed their fate, starting with their captain's snide comment.

Kidd was beside himself with rage that these fools were daring to insult him. Livid, Kidd drew in jeering pirates' weapons with a flare of his power. The weapons were wrenched from the other pirates' grasp, pulled toward Kidd's outstretched right hand, until the red head gritted out a single word, "Repel."

The weapons he had drawn in with his Devil Fruit powers were sent flying through the air at the gathered pirates, the blades slashing and the guns firing at random. The manipulated weapons injured any who were unable to dodge, and the Mediocre Pirates realized their mistake too late. Their only consolation was that since Kidd was not feeling his best, no one happened to die. Those injured dropped to the ground and beat a hasty retreat after the non-injured members, hoping they could get out of range of their weapons, which were still swinging and going off at random as Kidd manipulated them.

Chopper was terrified as he dodged out of range of the erratic attack, and watched as the last of the Mediocre Pirates scrambled away. Chopper let out a sigh of relief as the weapons fell out of the air and to the ground several feet away. "I thought you were going to kill them!"

Kidd made a face, displeased, "I missed."

A chill went down Chopper's spine at Kidd's admission that he had been trying to kill the other pirates. Shaking his head, Chopper spoke, "You need to rest."

Kidd actually did feel rather shitty after stomping around through the forest. Kidd rested his back against a nearby tree as he let out a frustrated sigh. "I thought that the walk would make me feel better, not worse."

"You do realize your current condition is entirely your own fault?" Chopper commented, though he didn't say how as he removed his backpack and dug around in it. He had changed into his Horn Point form, to better grab the item he was after.

The form change made Kidd stare hard at Chopper, "You're a Zoan type Devil fruit user?

Chopper nodded absently as he took out the bottle he was looking for, "Yes, I ate the human-human fruit." Chopper opened the bottle and shook out a pill, before offering it to Kidd.

Kidd stared at the pill dubiously, before he looked away, "I already said I felt fine." Kidd twitched as Chopper held a hand to his forehead.

"You're not feeling well because you have a fever." Getting a blank look in return, Chopper added, "This island's climate brought it on. Your body wasn't able to fight off the fever because it was still weakened from you nearly drowning." Chopper dropped his hand and offered the pill again, "You will feel better if you take this pill and some compound medicine." The pill was plucked from his hand, and Chopper watched the other take it with a careful eye, and felt he needed to clarify, "You need to take more of a rest to let the pill take effect."

Kidd considered rising, but the sudden fever that he had come down with was bad enough that he wanted it gone, and waited, seeing if the pill would actually work. Kidd watched Chopper change back to his small form and put together a mixture of a few herbs from his bag into a sticky looking paste using a small bowl to grind the stuff together. Kidd thought it looked disgusting, and he leaned away when Chopper offered the liquidly, mushy goop to him, "I ain't eating that shit! You tryin' to poison me?"

"But it'll help with the cough you have!" Chopper insisted, wondering why Kidd was being so stubborn about taking advice from someone who knew what they were doing. He was a doctor, after all, and he was pretty sure that Kidd wouldn't know what was good for him if it hit him over the head. His scars alone told Chopper that Kidd didn't exactly go around seeking medical attention.

"No." Kidd refused, before almost instantly coughing. Damn. This was getting old…Kidd grunted as Chopper changed his form again, this time into his Kung Fu Point, and leapt at Kidd with the bowl, "Hachaa! Take it! You'll feel better!"

"What the fuck?!" Kidd snapped as he fell sideways onto the ground after Chopper thwacked him in the gut. Wasn't the little bastard a doctor? Why the hell would he hit him in an attempt to give him medicine?

The two wrestled around on the ground, and it was a testament to Kidd feeling absolutely wretched that Chopper was able to pin him down and force the herbal mixture down the red head's throat, despite his vehement protests.

Kidd felt the disgusting taste go down his throat, and he let out a low growl of rage. How dare some damn animal get the upper hand over him! The weight of the other left, and Kidd lashed out blindly with his mechanical arm. He struck nothing, and ended up collapsing on his back.

Chopper had changed back into his smaller form, managing to avoid the strike, and went to hide behind a nearby tree. Chopper didn't seem to notice that his hiding wasn't being done very well, but since Kidd wasn't exactly going to be coming after him, it didn't matter.

Kidd remained on his back as he closed his eyes, coughing faintly. He was silent for a few minutes, before he spoke up, sensing that Chopper was still nearby, "What is that pill…supposed to do?"

Chopper's voice quietly responded from behind the tree, "It'll reduce your fever, but the side effect is that it will make you sleepy."

Kidd let out a self-deprecating laugh, still not able to comprehend that he had been dealt with so easily; no matter how bad he happened to be feeling. The Straw Hat's crew was crazy, no doubt about that. What normal person stuffed something down someone else' throat against their will? Kidd let out a frustrated sigh. He could already feel the pill starting to take effect, and there wasn't much he could do to fight that. Kidd strained to stay awake, but couldn't help but drift off, the pill putting him under quickly.

As soon as Kidd was snoring softly, Chopper realized with a jolt that the pirates from earlier could come back, and that he had essentially left Kidd defenseless. Chopper sat down, tense and worried about the Mediocre Pirates coming back to attack. It didn't even occur to him that he could have easily defeated them in one of his other forms.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad people are liking this so far (and I actually made the story have more of a plot later on, and it remains to be seen whether that was a good idea on my part or not).

Anyway...

Mini rant/general information regarding this chapter (and future ones):

Um…yeah, due to a short scene earlier in this chapter while Law is on his own, shit's going to go down in future chapters, because the plot friggin exploded into something massive due to those two short paragraphs (three sentences wtf), and me thinking about it, and then deciding what the hell, why not add another character in a few chapters. At least it happened before I read the newest op chapter (part of which made me giggle/snicker and then go omfg what lol no poor bb…but, yeah, it made me think that the plot changes I made to this fic were fine after all). I hope you all will like (?) the 180 degree turn this fic will take in a short time, because I know I'm going take vindictive pleasure in writing it because it allows me to write IC (?) Law torment, which I enjoy for some sick reason.

This fic was supposed to be just humor, but due to the changes in the plot, I may add to the genre in the description of the fic later. Angst, perhaps. This fic is drawing on what is going on in the manga in the current arc, but as this is _fanfiction_, it isn't going to follow it much, if at all. The whole story is me making Law miserable/insane, because I like him so much…if that makes any sense at all. I will be further appalled with myself in at least two or three chapters.

More humor than fights in this chapter, I suppose. I needed something for the Straw Hat Crew, Kidd, and Law to be able to use as punching bags, so I amused myself by bringing back the random pirate OCs from the first chapter (since Law hadn't switched them back yet). I didn't feel like naming any of them other than the captain, since it confused me when there are already three on the island.

So…Mediocre he became, because he and his crew are below anyone's notice. Plus I thought it was funny. -shrug- And this chapter is the longest amount of time they'll show up. Since, you know, they're oc's, and are therefore unimportant compared to canon characters. The other times they will show up will be random beatings as everyone else on the island goes about whatever it is they are doing, and they just happen to be in the way.


	5. Chapter 5

Chopper leapt to his feet after what seemed like a very long time of fretting, when in reality it had only been around ten minutes. Chopper had thought he had been imagining someone moving amongst the surrounding trees, but now he could tell for certain. The rustling and crunching he was hearing was coming closer, and that meant that someone was drawing nearer. Before Chopper could even begin to decide what to do, those causing the rustling were revealed. Chopper was beside himself with relief as he threw himself at the nearest person, "Usopp! I was so scared I didn't know what to do!"

Usopp caught the flying reindeer doctor, and glanced down at Kidd, backing a few feet away, "Did he attack you?" At least Kidd appeared to be asleep, which was a good thing, because Usopp did not want the other to start a fight.

"No, other pirates did. They ran off though, after Kidd chased them away." Chopper decided to omit the fact that Kidd had been trying to kill the Mediocre Pirates, as Usopp already looked upset enough. Chopper turned his attention to the other person that had come along, "I thought you were going to stay on the ship, Brook."

The skeleton pirate twirled his cane, laughing, "Yohohoho! And miss the sights of a new island?" Brook glanced down at Kidd, who was snoring with his mouth slightly open, "I couldn't believe it when he showed up. It sent a shiver down my spine." Brook paused, and then added, "Even though I have no nerves there."

"What were you doing, Chopper? Why did you run off earlier?" Usopp questioned as he set Chopper down.

Chopper scuffed the ground, slightly embarrassed, "I thought someone was chasing me." He waved a paw at Kidd, "And I was going after him, because he really should have stayed on the ship, since he wasn't feeling well."

Usopp would have had something to say about that, had it not been for the reappearance of the Mediocre Pirates, who were not at all happy with the way things were going for them.

As soon as they spotted Usopp, they started to dash toward him, shouting and waving weapons they'd retrieved from the ground, "Look! Another of Straw Hat's crew! Get him!"

Usopp's jaw dropped, "Are you kidding me?" A shot fired over his head, and Usopp turned and ran away, yelling as he was pursued, "Where did they come from?!"

"Usopp!" Chopper hastily took out a scrap of paper, scribbled on it, and placed it on Kidd's chest. Setting two vials next to Kidd containing the herbal medicine, Chopper glanced up to see that Usopp had caught a few of the pirates off guard, if the vines twisting and twining around a few of them was anything to go by. Chopper scrambled to catch up with Usopp, and together they ran, looking for a clearing to fight in. Chopper's voice echoed back, "Brook! Keep an eye on Kidd and make him take some of that medicine when he wakes up!"

Brook was left behind with a still sleeping Kidd. The musician rested his cane over his shoulder, staring up at the green foliage around him reflectively. He knew that Chopper and Usopp could take care of themselves from the pathetic-looking band that had gone by. It was very quite now though. Maybe he could liven things up a bit.

Brook walked over toward the nearest tree, and abruptly tipped over against it, "45 degrees!" There was no response but for the chirping of some confused bird overhead. Brook righted himself, and stared around anxiously, before he spoke aloud, "There's no one around to see me." Brook tilted his head to look down at Kidd, "I wonder why he's asleep. That's quite odd." He rested his cane on the ground, "I suppose I'll have to keep watch. I wouldn't want to have the flesh torn off me by some vicious beast." Brook sighed at the thought, and then perked up as he realized the irony and laughed, "I have no flesh for them to eat. I guess I don't have anything to worry about! Yohohoho."

-x

Usopp and Chopper had managed to come across a small clearing with conveniently laid out boulders in the center of the island, where a small cave could be seen in the small mountain. The two friends decided to ignore the fact there was a mini mountain the middle of such a small island, as the layout was perfect to duck behind something to avoid the Mediocre Pirate's attempts to strike them.

Chopper had shifted into his Kung Fu Point once more, and was laying waste to the nearest pirates that came at him, "Hwatcha! Take this! And that!" Pirates went flying in different directions, cursing as they flew short distances through the air. Chopper would beat a retreat when the guns would go off, and the bullets would ping harmlessly off the solid boulders. When they were reloading, that was when Chopper would fly back into action.

Usopp popped up from behind some boulders nearby, slinging seed after seed at the pirates that Chopper wasn't dealing with, "Special attack: Sleep Star!" The sleep inducing attack, as well as various other plants that came forth, caused confusion amongst the pirates who weren't engaged in a fight with Chopper. Usopp was ridiculously pleased with himself with the way this battle was going, "Hahaha! How's that? You're no match for a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp dropped down with a yelp as a blade went whizzing over his head. Maybe he should wait to boast for when the enemy retreated.

Mediocre and his crew had had enough with a few more carefully slung Pop Green Seeds and Chopper's strikes. Those still able to move under their own power turned tail and fled, leaving behind some of the more injured crew to lay sprawled on the ground to recover.

Chopper and Usopp relaxed as the former changed back into his smaller form, and the latter laughed, as if he hadn't almost been struck in the face by a very sharp blade.

"We must be getting even stronger, Chopper! Those guys were no match for us!"

Chopper grinned cheerfully at his friend, while at the same time checking him over to see if he had been injured at all in the brief struggle. He wasn't going to break the news to Usopp that pretty much anyone with a small amount of power could beat the Mediocre Pirates. Chopper, satisfied that both of them had come out unscathed, turned to face the direction they had come from. "I want to go back and make sure that Brook is all right. I didn't think about Kidd waking up and seeing someone else. He might attack if he is still disoriented."

"Brook will be fine. He _is_ a skeleton. I don't think that other guy could actually cause him any lasting harm." Usopp thought it over, before he looked uneasy, "Unless he breaks his bones."

Chopper began to walk back at that, "I'd feel better going back and checking on them. Then I want to go find Luffy and tell him about those other pirates. They don't seem to be dangerous, but I want to warn him about them anyway."

Usopp fell into step next to Chopper, "Were they the guys on that other island that Luffy went plowing past?"

"Yeah." Chopper was silent for a moment, "I hope Kidd takes the medicine I left for him."

"Don't worry about it. Devil Fruit users are hardy."

Chopper sighed, "I suppose so, but to not take suggestions from a doctor is a little worrying. I wonder how he survived all those attacks that gave him those scars…" Chopper stopped talking abruptly as a large hybrid creature came out of the foliage to drop down in front of them. The blue nosed reindeer took one look at it, before turning and running, Usopp joining him as the two of them freaked out.

"Ahh! What is that thing?!"

"I don't know, but run before it eats you!"

Mediocre and his crew watched the two Straw Hats' progress of being chased by a hungry beast, before he glanced back at his crew. Those gathered were the ones who hadn't been too badly injured from Usopp and Chopper's attacks, or previously, Kidd's. "We're going after them!" Seeing his crew nod in agreement, he failed to notice that a few of the crew were giving his current body's backside appreciative looks.

Mediocre missed the sight of one of the female crew members swatting another over the head as he called to his injured crew mates, "Go back to the beach. We'll go there and meet up once we've found the warlord!"

A few of the wounded crew wondered why Mediocre was even bothering. It was obvious that they weren't going to be able to coerce Trafalgar Law into changing them back, but they didn't have the heart to tell their captain, what with how fired up he was.

-x

Law was again at a loss with the way the Straw Hats functioned as a crew. He stayed well back, eying the scene that was slowly getting more and more stupid. The Heart Pirate couldn't even figure out why Straw Hat was upset with the swordsman in the first place. What had started as the swordsman and the cook arguing who had killed the larger animal had turned into something incredibly petty.

"You chased the food away, Zoro!" Luffy accused his crew mate, profoundly upset that he wasn't able to eat the two dead animals, both of which had looked so tasty.

Zoro was insistent in his defense, "It wasn't my fault that it got away. One of them had spikes on it, so it wouldn't have tasted good anyway!" Zoro dodged a punch from an infuriated Luffy, using the flat of one of his blades to block another blow, "And it _isn't_ my fault that another larger animal took both of the corpses! You're the one that was so fixated on them in the first place, that you should have been able to stop it!"

Law stared wordlessly as Luffy and Zoro began to fight with one another about who was to blame for another animal carting off the corpses. This had to be the stupidest reason for a fight Law had ever witnessed, and he was surprised that the cook, standing nearby, was not at all concerned that his crew mates had begun to brawl with one another.

Zoro took the sudden fight in stride as he drew another katana and bit down on it, the third being drawn to cross with the first to block another furious punch from Luffy. Zoro strained against his blades and sent Luffy flying back a few yards, and struck a fighting stance, "If it'll take a fight to convince you, fine, have it your way!"

"You still let the meat get away, you jerk! No matter what you say!"

Law silently watched as Luffy and Zoro flung themselves at each other, Straw Hat parrying the swordsman's katanas with rapid jabs of his fists. The sanity of Straw Hat and his crew was definitely coming back into question. Not that it hadn't already. The Heart Pirate turned to Sanji, who had lit a cigarette and was puffing away at it, watching the fight in front of him with only a passing interest. "Aren't you worried that they might hurt each other?"

Sanji shrugged, stepping aside as Luffy came flying past to smack into a tree, "They're just working out a disagreement. They'll be fine, even if they get a bit beaten up in the process."

The cook's sanity was definitely worrisome with an answer like that. This kind of fighting obviously wasn't normal. Most people would talk things out, though Law had to admit that pirates were more likely to fight things out to settle any disagreements. What he was witnessing was just over the top.

Luffy leapt away from the tree he had been thrown against, swinging his fist at Zoro, "Gum Gum Jet Pistol!"

Zoro rocked back on his feet as he took the attack with crossed blades, biting down hard on the hilt in his mouth as he redirected the force and sent Luffy flying again.

Luffy righted himself in the air and landed, stomping the ground, "Second Gear!"

Zoro's eyes widened a bit. So Luffy was being serious after all. Zoro smiled around the katana clenched between his teeth in anticipation. This should be interesting. It'd been awhile since he and Luffy had fought with one another.

Luffy launched himself forward, almost too fast for the eye to see, swinging his arms forward rapidly as he struck at Zoro again, "Gum Gum Jet Gataling!"

Zoro grimly brought up his blades to block the furious tirade of fists, angling his weapons this way and that. Zoro merely let out a soft grunt when a few punches managed to find their way past his defenses. As soon as Luffy leapt away, Zoro lunged forward, angling his blades in preparation for his attack, before he swung them, "Dragon Twister."

Luffy twisted in midair to avoid the main brunt of the attack, though he still took a few scratches here and there from the twister that had been created. He and Zoro completely ignored the damage being done to the forest around them as they focused on one another, neither backing down. So focused on their fight, they hadn't even realized that the animal that had taken the corpses away earlier had come back for more.

Law shook his head at the level of insanity going on around him as he drew forth his blade and walked toward the beast. With two swift slashes, Law killed the creature before it could reach Luffy and Zoro. Law didn't realize that by killing the animal, he had brought the brief tussle to the end, and had ended up making himself a target of ire. It didn't take long for the Heart Pirate to regret what he had just done.

Law's shoulder was jostled by Luffy, who had landed next to him, and just like that, Straw Hat promptly forgot his duel with Zoro to drool at the tasty looking dead animal. Law tried very hard not to be amused by Straw Hat's excited visage, but failed as he ended up smiling anyway when Luffy raced off to look for wood in the damaged area of the forest caused by Zoro's attack. No doubt to make a fire to roast the fresh meat.

It took Law a few moments to realize that Straw Hat's crewmates were staring at him and throwing him dirty looks. The Heart Pirate didn't quite understand that since he had been the one to kill the largest animal between the three of them, Sanji and Zoro weren't happy that he had one-upped them, while doing it with such bored finesse.

Law raised up his drawn blade to block a kick from Sanji, and then a two strike hit from Zoro. Law was utterly confused by their words, completely unprepared for them to both attack him like this out of the blue.

"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!" Sanji turned and lashed out with a leg, doing a somersault in the air when Law launched him away.

"I was in the middle of something!" Zoro told the Heart Pirate irritably, crossing his katana and catching Law's blade between them.

Law set his jaw as Sanji ran forward to join back in, and readjusted the grip on his weapon. The Heart Pirate deflected blows, and dodged them when he could, waiting patiently for an opportunity to create a room so he could try and diffuse the situation. He could only hope that Luffy would remain distracted by the prospect of a meal. Law resigned himself to the sudden attack, wincing as his left arm took a solid kick from Sanji, luckily managing to avoid getting cut in the same place by the swordsman. Law grimly continued to parry the blows, and decided that yes, the Straw Hat crew were utterly insane, if they all started fights over such asinine things.

The only thing that could possibly make this worse was if Kidd happened to show up, though perhaps if he did, Eustass would see for himself first hand just how crazy the Straw Hat Pirates really were.

-x

Kidd woke refreshed and feeling better than he had in quite some time. He glanced around briefly, wondering if the annoying creature was still around. Since Kidd didn't feel like he was going to keel over anymore, he felt that he needed to regain some semblance of control by making sure that Straw Hat's pet never tried to overpower him like that ever again. It was nearly as bad as Trafalgar giving him CPR...

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning. Or afternoon, as I suppose it is now."

Kidd looked up sharply as he straightened up against the tree, catching the sight of Brook leaning over him slightly. The red head realized that it had been him that had spoken. Kidd narrowed his eyes, his right hand flexing against the ground, "Where the hell did you come from?"

Brook straightened up and tilted his head, "That's a silly question. We were on the same ship not too long ago."

Kidd stared at the skeleton silently, until he realized that yes, he had caught a glimpse of the being before him on the ship, fiddling away at a violin and singing something rather atrocious. Kidd scowled at his answer from Brook not being very clear, "Another Devil Fruit user? I guess you'd have to be, to move around like that. It ain't normal."

Brook wasn't offended with Kidd's assessment, as he offered a faint bow, "I did indeed eat a Devil Fruit. The revive-revive fruit, to be precise, I…"

Kidd tuned Brook out as he took a look around, and since he didn't feel like he was burning up with a fever anymore, that meant that either the short rest or the medicine the Straw Hat's doctor had given him had done its job. The cough appeared to be gone as well, which was a relief that Kidd would never willingly admit out loud. A crinkle of paper caught his attention, and Kidd picked it up with one hand, speaking aloud and interrupting whatever it was that Brook had been talking about, "What's this?"

Brook glanced at the indicated item, "Ah, Chopper left that for you."

Kidd read the short scribbled letter silently, and got the gist of it. The little reindeer wanted him to take it easy for a little while, and take the herbal medicine two more times that day, one now, and one later in the evening. Kidd scoffed and discarded the paper as he stood up, completely ignoring the herbal mixture in the small vials near where he had been lying down.

"Do you feel well enough to get up? I thought Chopper suggested that you rest a little longer?"

What was with Straw Hat and his crew pestering him about his well-being and taking care of himself? It made him feel very uncomfortable, and he disliked the feeling. Kidd sized Brook up, and before he could stop himself, grumbled irritably, "When was the last time you got sick?"

Brook laughed merrily, tickled by the question with such an obvious answer, "Yohohoho. I can't get sick, because I have no organs."

Kidd walked off. This was stupid and a waste of time, and the pirate captain couldn't even bring himself to bother driving Brook off, even though the skeleton followed after him.

A half hour later...

Kidd was still being followed by the irritating skeleton. By this time, Kidd was considering whether it would be worth it or not to make Brook leave him alone already. The red head was delayed in making the decision, because he started to hear what sounded like a battle going on up ahead. Kidd picked up his pace, a smile spilling across his face. Finally, something interesting was going on. Since Straw Hat was on the island, he was betting that the very loud commotion that was directly before him was his doing.

Kidd slowed his walk minutes later as soon as he began to hear the sounds of a fight more clearly, and shouts coming from someone, most likely Straw Hat.

"That sounds like Luffy and the others. I wonder what could be going on." Brook commented, still trailing along after Kidd.

Kidd smirked, and not because of the skeleton that had suddenly drawn level with him. Instead, he was amused about something else. It seemed like Trafalgar hadn't been able to keep the noise level down, at all. That shouting was probably carrying all over the island. Kidd emerged into a clearing, and since he didn't know what to make of the scene before him, he hung back and observed it.

It was quite a show, if nothing else, and from where he was standing, he was out of range of Trafalgar's Devil Fruit powers. The thin dome before Kidd engulfed Law, Straw Hat, and two of the three people that followed after Luffy.

Brook turned his head to and fro, "I wonder where Nami is."

"Who cares?" It was the woman's problem if she ran into any trouble. Kidd settled against a tree to watch the fight, wondering whether he should join in, and if so, when. It looked like too much fun to stay out of the fight altogether, and Kidd felt that he could use a good challenge.

-x

Law was breathing heavily from dodging the cook and the swordsman, but he had been able to cause some mischief to keep them off his back. In the moment that the other two had fallen into an argument of who got to fight the Heart Pirate, Law had quickly created a room, and swapped Zoro and Sanji's bodies. Law sheathed his sword, since he sensed that the sudden fight was over with for the time being. The Heart Pirate cast a glance over at the nearby massive and very dead animal, and wondered why killing it had irritated both of Staw Hat's crewmates. He'd merely saved them the trouble from arguing who would kill the beast. Their stupidity had been bothering him as well, so he had done it in self-defense of his mental well-being. Law was so caught up with the Straw Hats that he hadn't noticed that Kidd was lurking nearby, entertained with his ordeal.

It took Luffy a moment to realize that Law had swapped Sanji and Zoro's minds. As soon as he figured it out though, Luffy dropped the firewood he had found and collapsed to the ground as he laughed at his friends' unfortunate situation. He either didn't notice or completely ignored the glares tossed his way as he patted the dead animal, "Come on! Let's roast it and eat it!"

Law caught sight of the twin looks of anger that were thrown his way, but he haughtily ignored their silent demand to be switched back. The Heart Pirate wasn't particularly inclined to do so anytime soon, especially since his upper left arm was now sore and tingling from Sanji kicking it.

Before either of the switched men could launch any protests, they were drawn over to the animal by Luffy, who was impatiently waiting for them to cut it up. He had already gathered firewood together in a pile, and Law, watching all three silently, wondered what his chances were to slip away unseen. Relatively low, most likely.

Sanji fished a hand around in his body's pocket, but Zoro stopped him from drawing out a pack of cigarettes, the swordsman obviously not wanting the cook to smoke while in his body. Sanji took offense, and took it up with Zoro, while Luffy waited next to the firewood, grinning in amusement at his friend's antics.

"If I'm going to be stuck in your body I want a damn cigarette, moss head!" Sanji crossed his arms and glared at himself. The click of the three katana against his body was distracting, and they felt rather heavy, but as it was Zoro's body, the weight was nothing.

Zoro glared in return, "I don't want your poison in my system. Why the food doesn't smell like your cigarettes I'll never know."

"Hey! Zoro! Sanji! Come on! The meat! The meat!"

Zoro and Sanji glowered at one another, but dropped their issues with one another to assist their captain with lighting the firewood. Sanji pulled out the lighter from a pocket in his body's jacket, drawing a look from Zoro. Sanji ignored him as he got the fire going, and froze when Zoro drew one of the katana from its sheathe.

Law frowned, settling against a nearby tree. He dropped the dome, as it had been depleting his energy level slightly. Law figured that since there was no fight to be had, there was no reason to maintain the room. It was kind of fascinating to watch the swordsman in the cook's body cut up the dead animal with a katana. It was a bizarre sight, and the fact that it didn't faze Straw Hat in the least bit was unsurprising.

Law was more susceptible to surprise himself, when someone suddenly came up alongside him without a sound. Law whipped his sword out to the right without a second's thought, and came into contact with something metal. Law glanced to the side, and found that his sword was being blocked by Kidd's metallic arm. Law returned Kidd's scowl before he spoke up, "Keep your sneaking to a minimum, Eustass-ya, unless you want to be run through."

Kidd grinned nastily as he easily kept Law's sword from moving, "I wouldn't get so cocky about your abilities, Trafalgar. You're not even in one of your little rooms right now."

Law hid the fact that he was straining to keep his sword against Kidd's arm, "Your abilities are nothing compared to mine, especially if there isn't any metal around for you to manipulate.

Kidd's eyes danced dangerously as he considered the sword he was blocking, "There's always going to be some kind of metal around."

Law tensed at the crazed look in the other's eyes. Well, damn, Law hadn't exactly meant to set him off. Wait...maybe he did. The Heart Pirate supposed that Straw Hat must have rubbed off on him, because he wasn't as concerned about the fact that Kidd towered over him by a few inches, looking murderous as he shoved Law's sword away. Law stood his ground, for the time being, and that was when Straw Hat thought it was a wonderful idea to come over and pester them.

"Hey! You guys!" Luffy came up between Law and Kidd, oblivious to the sparks flying between them as he patted both of the taller men on the shoulders inquiringly, "Do you want some meat?" Luffy paused as he thought about it, before he amended, "Only a little, though."

Kidd twitched as the patting from Straw Hat jostled him, and turned his crazed look to Luffy, teetering dangerously on the side of exploding and murdering everyone in the vicinity. Straw Hat just had to come over and make a nuisance of himself, and Kidd was irritated that Luffy had the gall to ask him if he wanted food when he was obviously preoccupied with something else. The decision of whether he wanted to beat the Heart Pirate down a peg or two or not. The gratefulness of being saved from drowning was all but gone by now, after over two hours of hiking through the forest and nearly hacking up a lung on top of that. Not to mention the reindeer doctor forcing medicine down his throat. His patience was all but gone. Not that he had much to begin with.

Law was wearing a highly exasperated expression. On one hand, he was relieved that Straw Hat had distracted Kidd, but on the other hand, he was also annoyed with Luffy for interfering in what was obviously an argument that had nothing to do with him. Law chanced a peek out of the corner of his eyes at Kidd, and tensed up ever so slightly. The other pirate captain was flexing his hand in anticipation of a fight, and Law winced as Straw Hat jostled his sore left arm. That was it. Law's patience had run its course, and to hell with the alliance if the actions he was about to take wrecked his plans. He just couldn't take this kind of treatment anymore.

Law tightened his grasp on his sword's hilt as he managed to catch Kidd's eyes, and indicated Luffy with a slight tilt of his head.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I'm having way too much fun writing/typing this and playing around with fight scenes and the like, and I'm glad that people have been enjoying it too. I haven't been able to write many scuffles/fights/battles/etc. much other than for my own original stories (not fanfiction), so I hope this chapter and the next sound decent in those parts. I still get a little frustrated because Luffy and his crew are so hard to write for some reason (which is why some of them aren't being written about too much just yet). I really do want Luffy and Zoro to get into a fight over something incredibly stupid again in the manga, and have other character go wtf at the sight.

I'm still rather amazed that I've been putting up ~5,000 word chapters. Not sure how long that will last, but I suppose I like running across longer chaptered stories, cause there's more to read. More fighting in the next chapter, followed by a 'oh no you didn't' moment.

And just to say, this chapter was posted more quickly because it was more or less finished. The same goes for the next chapter, which should be up tonight or tomorrow at some point, when I'm finished with edits. (You know, 'cause I have a lot a free time while I look for a job, ugh. It shouldn't be so hard to find one). The seventh chapter, however, will take a little longer to get up, because I need to beat it out of summary format.


	6. Chapter 6

Luffy missed the silent look that had been shared between Law and Kidd. Luffy did notice, however, when both of the other captains shook him off their shoulders and moved in for an attack with no word of warning. Luffy grinned, unfazed by this response, as he dodged out of the way of Kidd's mechanical arm taking a swing at him.

Law held his left hand forth as Kidd continued to pursue Straw Hat around the clearing, "Room." A dome encircled all three captains, as well as Sanji and Zoro, who had at first looked like they would intervene, until both decided that they had a problem with the other using their body in a fight.

"Hey! Don't touch my katana! You can't even use them, you useless cook!" Zoro swung his leg at Sanji, who blocked with a katana he had just drawn. Neither said a word about having been able to counter one another with their respective abilities.

"In case you didn't notice, Luffy is fighting with two other pirate captains, one of whom is a warlord, and Luffy isn't taking it seriously at all!" Sanji took the opportunity to fish out the cigarettes from his body's pocket when Zoro had started to draw back. Sanji tossed the katana at Zoro to distract him, and bit down on the cigarette as he lit it. Blowing out a puff of smoke, Sanji sighed, "That's better." He leapt to the side as Zoro swung the katana at him.

"What did I tell you about smoking with my body?"

Sanji ran off into the surrounding forest, Zoro hot on his heels. The two were now preoccupied with their own troubles, and didn't think about the implications of leaving their captain to fend for himself against two highly irate men. Not that they didn't think Luffy could handle himself.

-x

Mediocre was on a mission, and he refused to let any complications hold him back. Even though his crew had been dwindled down to only himself and four able bodied men, they were going to continue their pursuit of Usopp and Chopper, who were still being chased by a large creature.

That was when the Mediocre Pirates were foiled in their goal yet again. They had no time to react other than to make incensed sounds, as Zoro and Sanji came flying out of nowhere.

Sanji and Zoro had begun to fight with one another, leaving a path of destruction as they went. Zoro, who had drawn his remaining katana, was having trouble using the blades with Sanji's body, and Sanji was having similar difficulty aiming precise kicks at himself. The two had more or less gotten over the differences in their respective bodies after a few exchanged blows, and were beginning to go at one another with renewed vigor, as they adjusted to the changes.

The two were distracted briefly when they noticed that Chopper and Usopp were being chased by another beast, as well as some pirates that appeared to have something devious in mind. Sanji and Zoro exchanged glances with one another, before nodding in unison. They broke off from their sparring immediately, Sanji darting toward the small group of pirates, while Zoro went after the creature that was harassing Chopper and Usopp.

Zoro lifted two of his katana, and dashed toward the creature as he took a flying leap into the air. Biting down on the katana with a little difficulty whist in the cook's body, Zoro plummeted down, bringing the other two katana into their respective stances, "Three sword style…" Zoro came crashing down on the creature, swinging, "Ultra Tiger Strike!" When he saw that the creature collapsed to the ground with a tremendous crash, and was no longer a threat, Zoro landed on the ground and headed over to where Sanji was. He could see that the cook was already in the midst of taking care of the pirates with sharp kicks. Behind Zoro, Usopp and Chopper were in the middle of calling out their thanks, when they both fell silent as something occurred to them.

Usopp frowned, "Wait, why was Sanji using Zoro's katana?"

Chopper pointed over to where it looked like Zoro was kicking the pirates down and shouting something, "And why is Zoro doing that?"

"Head back to the ship!" Zoro called over his shoulder, though his crewmates took it to be Sanji as the one who told them that.

Chopper immediately rushed in the direction of the sea, followed closely by Usopp, "Okay, Sanji!"

"Hey, Chopper! Wait up!"

Zoro shook his temporary body's head, rather glad that his rapidly disappearing comrades hadn't realized that it was him that was stuck in the stupid cook's body. Zoro saw Sanji hesitate, and nearly rolled his eyes as he hurried forward, flipping one of his katana to hold the hilt forward. That damn cook had better not get _his_ body injured because he wouldn't strike down a woman. Zoro stepped up his pace when he saw Sanji hesitate again, and made it over in time to crack Mediocre over the head with the hilt of the katana.

Sanji whirled on the swordsman, enraged that Zoro had dared to attack a woman in his presence. With a swift kick that was caught against two crossed katana, Sanji resumed his spar with the swordsman.

The Mediocre Pirates in the clearing, watching as Zoro and Sanji went on their way, were even further demoralized than they had been before. With their captain unconscious, the three that were not laid low by Sanji made the decision to head back to the beach to regroup with the rest of their crewmates. Two of the pirates stooped to pick up Mediocre, while the remaining one picked up their other unconscious crewmate. As they made their way back to the beach, one of the Mediocre Pirates sighed wearily.

"This was a bad idea, wasn't it?"

Neither of the two men said anything, as they were mainly wondering just what they were supposed to now. The other thought that occupied their minds as they went along through the forest was why people felt the need to pick on them so much. They hadn't even done anything to draw Zoro or Sanji's attention.

It just wasn't fair.

-x

Unbeknownst to Kidd and Law, both of whom were trying hard to land a hit on Straw Hat, Luffy was having an absolute blast. He wasn't taking the fight seriously at all, as Sanji had mentioned earlier. At least not at the moment. As Luffy dodged the other captain's attacks and returned them with punches and kicks, he let out a delighted laugh. He hadn't known that these two could be so much fun.

It soon registered in Kidd's mind that Luffy was treating this entire fight as a lark, and that made his anger rise further. Kidd stopped pursing Straw Hat around the clearing, and held up his arms, grinning maniacally. He'd wipe that smug smile from that damn brat's face soon. Kidd glared at Law as the Heart Pirate stood dirertly in his way.

"Get out of my way, Trafalgar, unless you wanna die too."

Law shot Kidd a cross look over his shoulder, "Do _not_ tell me what to do." Ignoring the dark scowl, Law was about to draw his sword, when all of a sudden, lighting struck from above, zapping all three men in the vicinity, and momentarily shocking the fight out of both Kidd and Law.

The lightning didn't cause any lasting damage to any of them, as it was more of a surprise than anything. Luffy was merely puzzled, since the lightning couldn't hurt him.

Nami appeared in the clearing, wielding her weapon, "Would you three stop acting so childish? If you're going to wander around the island, the least you could do is look for supplies and not waste time." She was tired from exploring the island, and was also very disappointed. She'd only been able to find a small bag of buried treasure, no doubt left behind quite some time ago. Nami had hoped there'd be more, and her mood wasn't improving by finding Luffy duking it out with the other pirate captains.

"Oh, okay! We were just getting the meat!"

Law had cooled off for the most part by now, moodily looking down at himself to see the state of his now singed clothing. A look of despair crossed the Heart Pirate's face as he took off and inspected his hat. He'd just fixed it not too long ago. With a woebegone sigh Law stuffed the hat back on his head, and rested his blade against his shoulder as he eyed Nami, who was looking very cross.

Luffy continued to be cheerfully oblivious to Kidd's bloodlust, until he saw Kidd take a sudden swing at Nami, still caught up in a fury, and not at all pleased to be interrupted by being zapped. Luffy quickly ran forward, raising his hand up and back as he went to intercept the furious captain, "Gum gum…"

Kidd almost reached Nami when he heard something whistling through the air. He turned, but it was too late. Luffy's fist came abruptly into contact with his cheek, Straw Hat yelling as he smashed into him, "Jet Bullet!" Kidd was sent hurtling through the air, where he crashed into a tree and collapsed to the ground, where he struggled to regain his breath, more infuriated than ever.

Acting as if he hadn't just sent Kidd flying, Luffy spoke to the slightly rattled Nami, "We can get other supplies when we're done here."

Nami spotted Kidd rising with a murderous snarl implanted on his features, and decided it would be in her best interest to not be there, "Where did Zoro and Sanji go? Didn't they come with you?"

Luffy pointed to the left, and once Nami had gone, he turned back to face Kidd and Law, who was to one side and eying Kidd warily.

Kidd brushed the back of his right hand against the cheek that Luffy had punched, before raising his head to meet the Straw Hat Pirate's eyes. Another manic gleam appeared in Kidd's eyes, and a dark smile split his face as he flexed his arms, "That was a stupid move, Straw Hat."

Luffy crossed his arms, "I won't let you hurt my friends."

Kidd bared his teeth in a silent snarl, before he picked himself up off the ground all the way and flung himself at Luffy.

Law kept well out of the fight when he noticed that Straw Hat was taking this fight more seriously. He might have joined in, if not for the fact that Kidd was activating his Devil Fruit powers. Law leaned up against a tree, his arms and hands keeping a firm grasp on his sword, to prevent it from being drawn away by Kidd's powers. The Heart Pirate watched silently. He wondered how far the two of them would go. He knew that Kidd couldn't resist a challenge, and Luffy wasn't about to back down now that he _was_ taking things seriously. A lopsided smile slipped across Law's lips as he tightened his hold on his sword. This was going to be quite interesting. Seeing Kidd get taken down a peg or two would be very entertaining.

Luffy landed on one side of the clearing, hands on his thighs as he shouted, "Gear two!" Steam started rising off him, and he rushed Kidd, swinging a fist at the other captain.

Kidd raised his left arm and blocked the punch, grinning at the other, "Don't disappoint me, Straw Hat." With a grunt of effort, he shoved Luffy away, and flexed a hand, drawing forth a small amount of metal from around the immediate area. While it wasn't as much as he'd have liked, Kidd took what he could get and swung at Straw Hat. Kidd's features twisted into a sharp smile. Gouging Straw Hat with sharp metal bits should work against someone who was made out of rubber. Kidd ended up hitting nothing when Luffy suddenly wasn't there, "What?!" Kidd spun around in time to block another punch, and when he raised his own covered in metal, Straw Hat wasn't there again. What in the hell?

Kidd turned to and fro, blocking attacks as soon as he sensed them coming, but he couldn't keep up with whatever hellish speed Straw Hat was using. "Hold the fuck still so I can hit you!" Kidd let out a grunt as a punch connected with his gut, and flung him back a few feet.

Luffy paused briefly, "Nope!" With a wide grin, he sped up again, infuriating the other pirate captain.

Kidd snarled wordlessly and swung again, drawing one of his own blades. As soon as he sensed an attack, he turned and lashed out with the blade. It came into contact with Luffy's armament hardened fist, and Kidd cursed, as he couldn't cut through that. Dammit, this was not going how he wanted it to. Kidd swung the arm covered in metal again, but Luffy dodged both out of the way of the cluster of metal, as well as the jab Kidd did straight after with the blade he held.

Kidd was quickly getting tired of the light stepping that Straw Hat was doing, so he began to tear up the ground with the metal encrusted arm, thinking to make the footing uneven, and therefore stop that sneaky little bastard from running circles around him. Kidd smiled as Luffy stumbled on one of the deep gouges in the ground, and swung his arm before the other could recover. The attack connected this time, but Straw Hat managed to come away from it with only a few scratches to show for it. Kidd wanted more. He wanted to see just how much Straw Hat had improved from two years ago.

Luffy halted at the edge of the torn up ground, and eyed it for a moment, before grinning at Kidd, "What were you trying to hit?" Luffy bit his finger, "You can't hit me if you just hit the ground."

Kidd watched as Luffy's whole arm suddenly enlarged, and he back stepped to avoid the fist. What he hadn't expected was for Luffy to change direction and strike him again, slamming him into another tree and cracking his head against it. Kidd rolled over to avoid another strike, and lashed out with the hand he still had metal around, cutting Straw Hat up a bit more, and making him change direction. Kidd couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the sight of Law flying through the air after being struck by Straw Hat. He laughed more loudly as the Heart Pirate rolled a few times, and lay flat on the ground, amidst Straw Hat apologizing.

"Ah! Sorry Tra-guy!"

Law made some grunt in the back of his throat, and rolled onto his side with a muffled groan. Damn, Straw Hat sure could pack a punch. Coughing, Law sat up, still holding his sword in a death grip, because he could feel Kidd pulling for weapons with his powers. Law looked at the two, and was considering if he wanted to join in now, or just move out of range.

"Stay out of this, Trafalgar!" Kidd snarled, noticing the look on Law's face as he went toward Luffy once more. Luffy swung around to face him, and the two exchanged blows, dealing out superficial wounds when they managed to get through the other's defenses.

Some time passed before Kidd and Luffy, wounded and weary, paused in their fight, which had become more of a sparring contest. Both of them were still on their feet, and were eying one another challengingly. They were quite capable of continuing the fight, but Luffy brought it to an end when he spoke, throwing off both Kidd and Law, who had decided to just watch the fight after all.

With a big, wide grin, Luffy addressed Kidd, "You should join our alliance, metal guy! It'll be fun!"

Silence followed the Straw Hat Pirate's words.

Kidd stared at Straw Hat's grin aimed his way, before he sneered, "Why would I want to do that? You've obviously done something to the doctor here, and that ain't gonna happen to me." Kidd crossed his arms, "Besides, I already made an alliance with two other crews.

"Yeah?" Luffy didn't seem to see a problem with making an alliance with another pirate captain, even one that was already in other alliances.

Law decided to push Kidd a bit, if only to try and see if the other would join in on the madness or not, "I would think that you would be interested in taking down the four emperors, wouldn't you?"

Kidd's scarred face took on an intrigued expression as he looked to Law for clarification.

Seeing that he had the other man's full attention, Law reluctantly explained, "I have a plan to bring down Kaido."

A smirk crossed Kidd's face, "That's a pretty lofty goal."

"Want to come along?"

Kidd lashed out at Luffy in response, and watched in silence as Straw Hat dodged away, still smiling. Kidd couldn't believe the balls on this guy, and finally cracked a faint smile as he responded, "I'll think about it."

Luffy took that for what it was, and his attention was drawn to the edge of the clearing, where Zoro and Sanji came crashing through the trees. Luffy began to laugh as the two went right for Law, and began to accost the Heart Pirate, demanding that he switch their bodies back, right this instant.

Law, wearing a disgruntled expression with Straw Hat laughing in the background, returned them to their bodies with a twist of his fingers. He hated the fact that not only was Straw Hat laughing at him, but Kidd was chuckling softly at him for giving in so quickly.

It was at this point that Kidd fell silent as realized that he had just fucking _smiled_ at Straw Hat earlier without any malice, and was now cracking up at something utterly ridiculous. He promptly put it from his mind. Kidd was not going to think about the potential that he could end up like Law.

-x

Putting the few supplies they had gathered onto the ship had been a more or less silent affair, for which Law was incredibly grateful. Law watched as a few of the Straw Hats started chatting with one another, as the storm was still raging in the distance. Law figured they would be there for, at the very least, the night. Law glanced back at the forest on the island, and even though the sun had already begun to set, decided that he wanted to take a look into the island and its effect on him more carefully. Law located Chopper, who was standing near the railing of the ship, and spoke calmly as he joined the short Straw Hat Pirate, "I'd like to do some tests on plants and the soil of this island. There are some questions I have." Law tilted his head down to look at Chopper, "Care to join me?"

"Sure. I'm kind of interested in that too. I kept hearing a lot of noises, but then there was no explanation." Chopper looked up at Law quizzically, "Do you think there might be some plant that releases a toxin that might make people hallucinate?"

Law nodded, his eyes on the island, "That's my theory, and I'd rather find out if that's true sooner rather than later, in case we end up stranded here longer because of the storm."

Chopper headed toward the cabins, "Ok, let me get my bag."

-x

Luffy watched as Law and Chopper left the ship, and, after a moment's thought, decided that he wanted to follow after them to see what they were up to. Luffy launched himself off the side of the ship again to follow after his friends, and no one on board the ship realized that Kidd had gone after them, because the crew had gathered in the cabin to discuss the weather and anything else of note.

-x

"Anything else to be brought up?" Zoro questioned, glancing around the table at the others.

Robin looked across the table at Nami, "When do you think the weather will let up and we'll be able to set sail?"

Nami peeked out the nearby window, before swirling the glass of water in front of her, "It could still be going on tomorrow, but once it's over with, we'll be looking at clear skies with little to no clouds, and a decent wind." Nami took a sip of water, "I'd say it should be over with no later than tomorrow evening, so we should be able to get going by then."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Usopp said suddenly, remembering something that had happened earlier in the day, before he and Brook had gone to look for Chopper. Usopp turned in his seat to face Robin, "Did you find out anything about those stones you said you found?"

"Stones?"

Robin smiled faintly at the fact that those gathered were all staring at her, awaiting her response with a range of expressions, from indifference to curiosity. Robin set her hands on the table as she let slip a small frown, "It was odd. At first I thought they were nothing more than stones that had washed up on the beach, until I took a closer look at them." Robin drew out a shard of the aforementioned stone and set it on the table, placing a finger on it, and gaining a faint grimace, "I noticed that it was actually sea prism stone, but the odd thing was that it looked like it had been written on, but the writing had been chiseled almost entirely away, except for a few letters here and there." Robin drew her finger away from the shard and shook her head, "I can't begin to think what any of those letters could mean as a whole. The writing had been too damaged."

"It's weird to think that those stones would just happen to be on the beach. I thought sea prism stone was supposed to be hard to come across." Sanji commented, taking a brief pause in fawning over Nami and Robin to make a comment.

"I wonder what it means."

The crew fell into a thoughtful silence, none of them realizing what was taking place on the island.

-x

Law left Chopper to study some samples that they had obtained thus far, as he decided to go investigate the center of the island. The Heart Pirate wondered if he would be able to discover something from the small mountain that was there, as he had been fairly certain that he had seen an entrance to a cavern as he had walked around the island earlier in the day. Law was able to locate the cavern fairly easily, and studied the dark entrance appraisingly. There was really no need to be this thorough, but he figured that since they would at least be around until the next day, there was no harm in learning as much as he could. Plus it kept his mind on something else other than the fact that his plans were being all but completely ignored by Straw Hat and his crew.

Law paused mid-step as a faint rustling sounded in the trees behind him in the clearing that was before the cavern. Law studied the tree tops silently, before he shrugged it off, a little more motivated to find more samples now. He hadn't bothered to tell Chopper where he was going, because he figured he would be back before too long. After all, the sun had almost fully set, and the Heart Pirate assumed that the more dangerous beasts on the island would use the dark that would follow to prowl around for a meal.

Law entered the darkened cave, his senses on high alert. After studying the relatively small radius of the inside of the cavern, Law relaxed ever so slightly as he moved further inside. He stooped here and there as he made his way around the cavern, avoiding the large boulders as he went. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to be rummaging around in the semi-dark, but no animal had come leaping out at him yet. Law crouched near the back of the cave, obtaining a few small plants for testing that he stuck in a pocket.

So focused on what he was doing, Law failed to realize that a shadow had passed before the cavern entrance moments before. As the Heart Pirate stood up, thinking to head back, he was unprepared to find himself unable to move. Law strained forward, but couldn't budge from where he was immobilized. It almost felt as if something invisible were holding his limbs taut...

Law's stomach dropped as the implications of that struck him. The Heart Pirate took a sharp intake of air, as he felt himself suddenly forced to turn around, not at all in control of his body. Law fought the sensation futilely, and the invisible force seemed to strengthen, until it almost hurt to resist. Law's mind refused to accept the reality of what was happening. No. He couldn't be here. Law had been certain that the other had no idea where he or the Straw Hat Pirates were.

Law was completely silent as he felt his body stop moving. He was forced to stand still where he was, unable to move under his own power. Unwillingly, Law lifted his gaze up, and caught sight of the person responsible for his current predicament. The one person he hadn't wanted to see so soon, especially since he hadn't even really begun to set his plan fully into motion. Doflamingo.

The short haired man's limbs were sprawled comfortably against a few boulders right in front of the trapped Heart Pirate, completely at ease. One long hand was raised in the air, the fingers bent at odd angles. Doflamingo tilted his head as he considered Law, as if trying to decide what he should do now that he'd caught the other off guard. By now a faint smirk had appeared on his face, like he found Law to be highly amusing for some reason or another.

Law ground his teeth, as he had no doubt in his mind that the older man was quite content to keep him where he was for the time being. It wasn't like Law could free himself of the invisible string right now if Doflamingo didn't want him to. As soon as Law made eye contact with the blond's glasses, Doflamingo's smile stretched into a terrifyingly wide one.

"Fufufufufu. Hello, Law."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Well then. Yeah.

I realize that I ended the chapter there. It was necessary mainly because the part right after this is entirely in summary format, and will therefore take a bit of time to type out and edit before I can post it.

As for the next chapter...I am going to torment Law quite thoroughly with Doflamingo (and NO, there is NOT romance/yaoi in any way, shape, or form in this fanfic). I have an evil, sadistic, menacing Doflamingo in all his pink fluffy feathery coated glory, because as much as I hate the son of a bitch, I think he is a wonderful antagonist. Poor Law, he's not even safe in fanfics from the scheming bastard.

I've given up figuring out how many chapters there are going to be, and kind of just going with it. If nothing else the story is giving me a workout in terms of plot and characterization. Here's hoping I can do IC Doflamingo.


	7. Chapter 7

Law gave no response whatsoever to the greeting, instead reacting instantly as soon as it registered in his mind that it was Doflamingo in the cavern with him. Law automatically lifted his hand, his wrist not held by the invisible string, "Room." Law doubted that it would do any good, but he didn't want to stay trapped unless there really was no escape. To his immense surprise, Law felt the strings slacken, and didn't stop to think whether or not Doflamingo was doing that on purpose.

Law swapped places with some nearby rocks, and landed a short distance away, free of the string and back in control of his body. Law scooped his sword up and took a swift peek over his shoulder. Law noted with some trepidation that Doflamingo looked unconcerned at his escape, merely crushing the rocks Law had swapped places with into small pieces with a wave of his hand. The Heart Pirate threw himself around one of the larger boulders in the cave out of immediate eyesight as soon as he saw Doflamingo start to get up from his rocky resting spot. Law's gaze darted around the small cavern, before realizing with a jolt that the room he had created stretched outside of the cavern and into the forest.

Doflamingo's smile widened, flexing one of his hands as he prepared to lunge for the cavern entrance. It was entertaining to see someone as smart as Law make such stupid moves. Doflamingo knew what limits Law's Devil Fruit powers had, so he really should have known better than to think that he could escape so easily. Doflamingo merely felt like giving the other a little false hope before crushing it. It was only when he remembered that Law didn't necessarily have to go out the entrance due to his powers that Doflamingo hastened to intercept the other.

Law teleported himself out of the cavern to hide to behind some trees near the cavern entrance, where he lay low, and out of sight, hoping that he would be able to avoid detection. Law didn't understand why Doflamingo had let him get away, until he stopped to think about it, and grasped that Doflamingo was just playing with him. Law started to walk through the forest at a brisk walk. It'd figure that sick bastard would enjoy letting him think he'd been able to slip free of the string. Law came to the edge of the room and dropped it, instantly bringing forth another. He was going to transport himself to the other side of the island, ahead of Doflamingo. It'd wear him out, but Law would make do.

Law created one room after another, unsure how long he could keep it up. Behind him, Law could hear Doflamingo careening through the trees overhead, and somehow found a new burst of energy as he fought to keep ahead of the blond. Exhaustion would be nothing if that meant he avoided Doflamingo's clutches.

Law reached the edge of the forest, where it connected to the beach. Law instinctively ducked down as he heard something pass overhead, not able to catch his breath just yet. He heard something whistle through the air from the side almost immediately afterward, and dodged backwards. Law missed the strike, but let loose a muffled curse. Going backward had only ended up forcing him onto the beach, where he lost traction in the shifting sands. Law's only consolation was that it wasn't the side of the island that Straw Hat and his crew were on. He dropped the room again, panting harshly as he lifted his left hand to call forth another one. If he could just do a few more rooms…

The Heart Pirate hadn't realized that Doflamingo had caught up with him, since the other's attacks could potentially be used from a fair distance away. Doflamingo dropped down out of a nearby tree, very displeased that Law gotten so far in the first place, and was frustrated with the slip-up he had made by allowing Law to sneak away. Doflamingo spotted Law about to make another room, and acted accordingly. He wasn't going to let the younger pirate get any further.

"Bullet String."

Law let out a cry of surprise as a string caught the side of his hand with punishing force, cutting the skin and momentarily distracting him as brief confusion took over. Doflamingo had been close enough that he could have pierced the Heart Pirate's hand through the middle had he so chosen to, but he hadn't. Before Law could figure out what that meant, he realized that his limbs were pinioned once again by Doflamingo's invisible strings, and the blond was relaxing against a nearby tree, wearing a patronizing smile.

"We're on an island, where did you think you could go? Don't try that again, or I'll use a gun next time. I think you'll find it to be more damaging than you would expect." Doflamingo warned, losing his smile a little as he glowered at Law. He hadn't expected Law to maintain the room he had created for so long, or to call them up so quickly one after another. It had been a bit of a job to keep up with the other. Toying with Law and letting him believe that he could get away _had_ nearly allowed the brat to escape. It was convenient for Doflamingo that Law's powers had drained him, otherwise the Surgeon of Death could have potentially avoided the last attack, and continued to make him pursue him around in dizzying circles.

Law, still breathing heavily from the effort of raising and dropping so many rooms, subtlety tugged at the invisible strings that were restricting his movement. Law fought down whatever panic might have otherwise shown. He didn't know what he had been thinking, since Doflamingo was right in the fact that there was nowhere to run. So unless he had wanted to lead Doflamingo back to the Thousand Sunny, he had essentially wasted his energy futilely trying to stay ahead and out of reach of the blond. Perhaps that hadn't been the best of ideas.

Law was trapped, as he was certain that Doflamingo wasn't going to make another error in judgment and allow him to try and slink away again. Law doubted that he would be going anywhere until Doflamingo let him go, which was unlikely to occur. Law didn't like to think what Doflamingo had in mind after he'd blackmailed him into resigning as a warlord. The taller man had a lot to lose, and to worry about, if Kaido came after him, so it would follow that Doflamingo would be furious with him.

Law continued to test the string anyway, even if he was doubtful that there would be any give in the string again. Law figured that Doflamingo would have noticed his minute movements, but hadn't yet done anything to discourage them. The bastard was probably contemplating what do with him, and wasn't worried about Law escaping again. A little more emboldened by the fact that he could do so, Law tested the strength of the strings a little more obviously. At the same time, he wondered if he had enough energy to bring forth another room. Law could feel his hand smarting from Doflamingo's previous attack, and questioned if it would even be worth it to try again.

Doflamingo had noticed the movement, and allowed it, entertained by the other's efforts. Pointless and almost a little sad that Law thought he had a chance to free himself for a second time. When the struggles grew a little stronger to the point where Doflamingo could feel a faint give in the string, the smile on his face widened. Law really should know better than to even bother. Doflamingo had him trapped this time, and the younger pirate knew it, but was stubbornly refusing to admit it and give in. The blond bent his fingers a little, tightening the string's grip effortlessly. The effect was instantaneous.

Law abruptly stopped moving when he felt the string's pressure increase, lest they dig into his skin further than they already had. Law let out a thin sound of protest intermixed with exasperation. He should have known better, but Law would take any chance he could to break free.

Doflamingo paid no heed to Law's obvious discomfort as he spoke causally, as if he hadn't almost allowed Law to get away, "You've got a lot of guts, trying to interfere with my business arrangement with Kaido." Doflamingo tilted his head to study Law, as if expecting to the other to fess up immediately. The Heart Pirate should know that he had nowhere to go now, and delaying any response would only mean more pain for him to go through.

Law said nothing, knowing full well that he was in a very perilous position, and things could go badly if he didn't play things right. Doflamingo had him, and he hadn't even been able to put up a fight. He had tried to run instead. Not that Law thought he would have lasted very long had he actually fought with Doflamingo. Law grit his teeth, curling his uninjured hand into a fist. He was trying and failing to see any way he could get out of this situation, and the blond would no doubt grow weary of him holding his silence before too long.

"Not going to say anything? I suppose at the very least you've gotten a little more cunning." Doflamingo settled more comfortably against the tree, brushing his feathery coat absently with his free hand to rid it of traces of leaves. Law was being more defiant than he had anticipated, and while it was amusing, it was also irritating at the same time that the brat thought he could keep his silence. Doflamingo angled a few of the fingers on the hand he was using his Devil Fruit powers with as he laughed, "Your plan hasn't exactly gone the way you'd hoped, has it?" It was too bad that Law was being such a damn nuisance. It seemed as if Law really hadn't learned all that much in the past ten years. Very unfortunate, especially if the Heart Pirate thought he had actually had a chance in succeeding with his little plan. Doflamingo let the strings loosen ever so slightly from around Law's limbs, as though daring the younger man to try another escape attempt, "Did you really think you could hide what you were doing at Punk Hazard?"

Law shifted faintly as he spoke automatically, "It wasn't meant to be hidden for long. You would have found out either way, though I hadn't anticipated Vergo being there. I made do with the way things turned out." Law didn't bother to try and get away, despite the fact that the invisible string was not overly restricting his movement. With the way his luck was running, Doflamingo would probably cut off his airway this time around, and Law liked the idea of being able to remain conscious. He retained some semblance of control that way, even if he was currently immobilized.

Doflamingo leered unpleasantly at the Heart Pirate, "Too bad you didn't stick around on the island with those marines. I could have silenced you then and there and taken Caesar back without too much trouble." Doflamingo flexed his fingers, and tightened the string again, a little disappointed that Law hadn't tried to move, but at least that meant the kid understood that he shouldn't put up too much of a fight. It was debatable how Law would react the longer this conversation went on. "But now you're making me work harder to retrieve him."

Outwardly, Law was calm, but on the inside, his mind was racing. Doflamingo was here on this island, and Straw Hat's ship was still anchored nearby. Law had to wonder why the older man hadn't just raided it and plucked Caesar from his grasp. If Doflamingo went to the Thousand Sunny now, that would ruin the leverage that Law thought he had gained over him. Law was again grateful that he had managed to get to the opposite side of the island from where the Straw Hat Pirates were anchored. Law obviously wasn't going to be going anywhere any time soon, and with the way he was now, he wouldn't even be able to warn the Straw Hat Pirates of Doflamingo's presence. Law needed to try and delay Doflamingo right now. Law wouldn't allow the blond to ruin his plan, as it was vital that he traded Caesar to Doflamingo on his terms, and create a diversion that would hold the blond's attention, and allow the Straw Hats to destroy the factory.

As Law puzzled over what to do, while at the same time ignoring the restrictiveness of the invisible strings, a sudden thought occurred to him. The island they were on. Perhaps there wasn't anything wrong with it after all. Maybe all the bad vibes and nervousness he had been feeling throughout the day had been because Doflamingo was around. It would explain a lot, and also account for the fact that Law had been positive that he had heard someone laughing.

"You were watching me earlier." Law mused aloud, since he couldn't think of anything else to say, as he was still wracking his mind for a way out of this. He was pretty sure that Doflamingo would want to retaliate for him daring to interfere with his plans, but Law wasn't quite sure what the other would choose to do. If Doflamingo had wanted him dead, he would have done so already, especially after recapturing him on the beach. Doflamingo could have easily caused much more damage than a gash to the hand. That alone made Law wary, and he wondered if the only reason he was still alive and not badly wounded was because Doflamingo wanted answers first. It didn't make Law feel very inclined to tell the other man anything if that was the case.

Moonlight reflected off of Doflamingo's tinted glasses as he smiled widely again. Law was as serious as ever and acting as though he weren't in as much trouble as he was. Why else would he change the subject out of the blue? "I'm rather surprised that you didn't sense me. I thought for sure that you would have investigated, instead of just passing it off as an animal following you around. Those trees weren't exactly easy to move though silently." Doflamingo laughed when he saw the irritated look tossed his way as he continued, "What? Would you have reacted if I had dropped down out of the tree and attacked you?"

Despite the perilous position he was in, Law couldn't help but laugh a little in return, "If you had dropped at that angle, I would have been able to try for your heart. If I succeeded, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. Though Kaido wouldn't have the pleasure of crushing you, if I managed to take you down first." Law's jaw snapped shut as he realized how very foolish of him it was to antagonize Doflamingo. He was helpless do to anything about it should the other man choose to take offense with his snappy retorts. Blindly, the Heart Pirate acted, trying to make a room, only to wince when Doflamingo intercepted his action by making a sharp hand gesture. The invisible string tightened to an almost excruciating pressure, and caused Law to lose his concentration. Stupid. Very, very stupid. Straw Hat and the others must have rubbed off on him after all with all of their reckless risk taking. Law was just asking for trouble trying to flee, when Doflamingo had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to be until he got some answers.

"You sure have a lot of nerve, Law. I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you. I was serious about the gun." Doflamingo flicked a finger up, and forced Law's left arm into the air, making the hand stretch. "For now, this will do." Doflamingo pointed with his other hand, smirking as Law's eyes winded a little at what he was planning to do. "Bullet String!"

White hot pain lanced through Law's mind as he fought down the urge to scream as the string pierced his palm, nicking tendons as it passed through. Out of pure instinct, as the arm was lowered, Law tried to make a room, his hand shaking with effort as he tried to form the concentration and energy, only to have Doflamingo slash a string sharply across the back of his hand to deter him. Law let out a gasping wheeze, hand shaking from the new wounds.

Doflamingo continued to speak as he ignored Law taking in sharp gasps of air. "You wouldn't have gotten close to ripping my heart out with your powers. Besides, you not noticing me made it all the more interesting. Seeing you and Straw Hat and that other upstart fighting amongst yourselves like children was quite amusing. That's why a brat like you shouldn't go around trying to call the shots like an adult." Doflamingo lost his smile momentarily as he scowled at the tethered Heart Pirate, and demanded in a more serious tone, "Why are you doing this, Law?"

Silence followed, and since that wasn't the kind of response he had wanted, Doflamingo bent a finger. One of the invisible strings pulled tightly, forcing the Heart Pirate's left arm behind his back at a painful angle. "I respect you to an extent, Law, but the attitude you've developed over the years is becoming quite a problem." Doflamingo increased the restrictive constriction of the string around the other's arm further by jabbing a finger to the side, "And you know how much I dislike having problems to deal with."

Law grit his teeth as a dull, throbbing ache settled in. Despite the agony of his wounded hand and his arm shaking a little from the effort of being held by the string, the Heart Pirate refused to allow himself to cave in. Doflamingo would have to be a lot more brutal if he wanted to break him. Tearing into his hand with the string had been playing dirty, but Law felt that he could hold out for a fairly long time, and be able to keep quiet about the vital parts of his plans. Doflamingo would probably end up injuring him too much after some time had passed, and at that point, Law was more likely to pass out from the pain than to tell Doflamingo anything.

Law could feel the blond's gaze settling on him, and the Heart Pirate let out a slow sigh as he tried to come up with a course of action. His options were rapidly dwindling, as Law was certain that Doflamingo would be quite happy to torment him until he broke down and told him what he wanted to know, or just kill him, if getting Law to spill the beans was too much of an effort to bother with for long. Law, spotting that Doflamingo was growing impatient, played the only remaining card he had. The chance was slim, but he was going to take that gamble, and see what happened.

Impatient and a little peeved that Law was daring to play games with him, Doflamingo jabbed a finger at Law, another invisible string making itself known to the Heart Pirate as it wrapped around his throat and squeezed, drawing forth a little blood. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, Law, thanks to you and your demand that I resign as one of the seven warlords. Now I have all kinds of things to take care of in Dressrosa because of it."

"Those little inconveniences will be nothing compared to what will follow." Law squeezed his eyes shut as Doflamingo manipulated two of the strings, both of which pulled hard at his arm and throat. The pain was bearable for the time being, and Law struggled to clear his thoughts and just what he would do now. He had to speak before Doflamingo cut him off, and derailed his train of thought. Law opened his eyes and glared defiantly at Doflamingo, "There will be nothing you can do when Kaido comes calling." Law saw creases across the other's forehead, and knew, even though he couldn't see the other's eyes from behind the tinted glasses, that he was being given an undoubtedly malevolent glare. Noticing Doflamingo's fingers twitch, and aware of the sensation of all the strings pinioning him flexing, Law finished quickly, "Straw Hat-ya will be wondering where I've gotten to if I don't go back soon. It would be strategically unwise for you to start something away from Dressrosa."

"Unwise for which one of us? Because it would be far more convenient for me to have Caesar back sooner rather than later, before you can play any more of your little games." Doflamingo offered a nasty smile, lifting his hand and twisting a few fingers, which caused the invisible string around Law's throat to constrict. Doflamingo pushed away from the tree and approached the Heart Pirate at a laid back jaunt, content to let the little bastard suffer from oxygen deprivation for a bit. Acting as if Law was a child that had said something funny, Doflamingo loomed over him as he stared down at Law haughtily, "Did you think you could get away with this? Did you believe that you would be able to have me follow your terms exactly according to whatever plan you have in that mind of yours?"

After a few moments, Doflamingo lowered a finger on his hand, the string around Law's throat loosened slightly to allow him to breathe. While Law coughed and gasped for air, Doflamingo focused on another string, and tightened it around Law's other arm, pulling that limb behind his back to join the left in the same painful angle. Hearing Law biting back gasps at his arms being pulled up and back in the unnatural direction, Doflamingo reached forward with his free hand and seized Law's chin, wrenching the other's head up as his voice sounded in a dangerous hiss, "If you somehow thought you and the Straw Hats would be able to run freely around Dressrosa and have your way, you're mistaken."

Law bit back a groan of discomfort at the painful angle his head was being held, before he gave Doflamingo a look of pure loathing. Law barely noticed the string digging into his wrists to add to the agony rising from the arms held behind his back. It didn't help that his wounded left hand was still causing him to lose quite a bit of blood. Still, Law refused to say anything to Doflamingo, though the Heart Pirate did bite the inside of his lip as the blond tilted his head back just a tad bit further. Law considered jerking his head away, but chased the notion away just as quickly, not wanting to find out what would happen.

Doflamingo, satisfied that he had Law's attention, however unwillingly, spoke casually, "I was going to have Vergo kill you back on Punk Hazard, when I first found out about your little endeavor there. Since then, I've had some time to think about it, especially after your calls. And after watching you and the others on this island, I've thought of a better idea than what I'd been planning before." Doflamingo smirked, "I've decided that I'll give you a chance to make things up to me, by bringing me Caesar now…" The smile stretched, "…and taking care of Straw Hat Luffy while you're at it.

Doflamingo chuckled at the faint flash of surprise that crossed Law's face, as if the Heart Pirate hadn't expected him to say something like that. Doflamingo's expression turned into a no nonsense look, and he titled Law's chin just a little higher, wanting to make sure that he got his point across, "If you try anything funny, I'll be quite happy to go locate your ship and your crew and annihilate them. I will do everything in my power to make any little thing you cared about vanish before your eyes. I'll make you suffer before I will even consider killing you." Doflamingo smiled cruelly, "Maybe I'll even make you beg for it." Doflamingo noted the closed expression that had appeared on Law's face, and added, "I doubt you would have left your crew too far away, and you know that I can easily find out where they are, with my connections. There would be nothing you could do to stop me, and all you would be able to do is read the news in the paper. That is, if you don't do exactly as I say."

Doflamingo hunched over as he brought his face within inches of Law's as he grit out his next words, "I've worked too hard for what I have in Dressrosa for a brat like you to come in acting like a big shot and making it collapse all around me. If that ultimately ends up happening, with or without the Straw Hat's help, you will regret that you'd ever been born by the time I'm through with you." Doflamingo noted that Law had flicked his gaze from his, "Perhaps after taking everything from you and beating you down, killing you wouldn't interest me as much." Seeing that Law was still avoiding eye contact despite their close proximity, Doflamingo delivered the final threat with malicious glee, knowing what reaction he would receive, "Instead of allowing you that luxury, I'll have you work for me again. After all, I'm sure you've heard that the heart seat was still open to you, right? I'd enjoy seeing you fall into despair as you carry out my orders, whether you want to or not."

Doflamingo heard a sharp intake a breath, and saw a faint widening of the other's eyes, and knew that he'd gotten through to the other man. Doflamingo released Law's chin, and backed away a foot or so, "Am I clear, Law? Do you understand?" Doflamingo bent his fingers, strengthening the strings' hold on the Heart Pirate.

Law winced as all the strings that were holding his body taut dug into his clothing and exposed skin with brutal precision, except for the string that had been around his throat. Law hung his head, hating the other man as he heard Doflamingo laugh overhead at him. Law would rather die than ever work for Doflamingo again, after what he'd done in the past. Law didn't doubt that Doflamingo would make good on his promise, so for the time being, as much as it twisted his gut and made him feel disgusted with himself, Law would do as the other said. At least until he settled on another course of action.

Since Doflamingo wasn't likely to give him much time to think, Law knew what he would have to do right now. The Heart Pirate knew that Doflamingo had already made his mind up, and agreeing with the blond now was only going to delay the inevitable. Law clenched his uninjured fist behind his back, a bit ashamed at what he was about to do, even if it was necessary to have some time to himself to think without Doflamingo nearby. With a sigh, Law let his entire body go limp in a submissive gesture, not even bothering to fight. There would be another time for that. Law spoke softly, his words bitter, "I understand." Law winced as he was suddenly released from the invisible string, the support from the other's Devil Fruit powers vanishing more quickly than he had thought it would. The Heart Pirate had no time to react, so he stumbled clumsily before he collapsed to the sandy ground. Law held perfectly still as Doflamingo spoke.

"I'll give you until tomorrow night to bring Caesar to that cave in the center of this island, and to take care of Straw Hat. I don't care if you toss him into the sea and let him drown, or in some other manner, provided you take care of it here on this island." Doflamingo stared down at the prone Heart Pirate, before turning on his heels and heading for the forest, laughing lowly, "Fufufufu. See you tomorrow, Law."

Law didn't know how long he lay there, but it was some time before he moved, long after Doflamingo had left him behind on the beach with the mocking laugh. Law clenched his uninjured fist again as he retrieved his sheathed blade that had dropped to the sand nearby. Law hoped no one would notice the scratches he'd been given, as he tugged his sleeves down over his wrists where lines had appeared from the tight hold of the strings. The wounds on his left hand, however, would need tending to, as there was no way to pass it off as an animal attack.

Law dug around in one of his pockets and withdrew some gauze, thinking he could hide the injury until he got back on the ship to treat it. There was no way around it. He would have to ask Chopper to assist him, and he could only hope the little reindeer would keep his mouth shut. Law wiped away the blood from his neck as he stared down at his hand silently, sickened when he noticed that Doflamingo had slashed the tattoo on the back of his hand diagonally, making it resemble the blond's symbol faintly. At least it hadn't been across his back. Law studied the wound and hoped the lacerations weren't too deep, but from the throbbing ache rising from the limb, and the fact that he had trouble twitching the hand without a wash of agony hitting him, it was wishful thinking. It would more than likely scar. Law gritted his teeth. Doflamingo was a sick son of a bitch.

Law tied off the gaze clumsily with his unscathed hand, and with even a brief glance knew that the gauze wasn't enough to hide the fact that he'd been injured, as the blood was likely to seep through before too long. Law could only hope he would be able to avoid mentioning the blond altogether. Law needed to come up with a plan, and quickly, because Doflamingo hadn't given him much time.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I figured that Doflamingo would find it entertaining (?) to make Law squirm by threatening him and then letting him stew in despair, knowing that Law would likely not comply, so why not watch him agonize over it when he has nowhere to run to due to the storm? It was essentially how the plot came out as I wrote/typed it out as a summary. Still attempting IC stuff, though with the way the direction of the story is going, I have no idea, but it seems fine. Drawing on stuff from the manga again, sort of. On a side note, this chapter was actually longer than I'd intended but for some reason I enjoyed typing it (I think I caught any grammar mistakes-the site seems to like leaving a letter off some words when the document is uploaded).

I know this chapter isn't humorous, but I don't know if I should add a genre to the story description or not, like angst or drama or something. There are about two-three other chapters in this story that don't exactly fall under humor (like another chapter where these two ending up in a fight). Eh, I'll think about it.

The next two chapters are kind of silly, though Law is constantly thinking about what the heck he's supposed to do, though he keeps everyone else out of the loop, with mixed results. Luffy and Kidd do end up helping Law in a later chapter, but not this one. Thanks for the reviews (and the favs and follows), and I will get the next chapter up within (hopefully) a week.


	8. Chapter 8

Chopper was testing a few plants, minding his own business when he was surprised by Luffy popping out of the surrounding trees with a grin. The small reindeer knocked over a sample in alarm at the sudden appearance of his captain, and couldn't do anything but stare for a few moments. When Chopper got over his shock at Luffy's appearance, he spoke, albeit a little shakily, "What are you doing back on the island?"

"I wanted to see what you and Tra-guy were doing." Luffy plopped down next to Chopper to stare at the different items laid out on the ground from the blue-nosed reindeer's backpack. Luffy crossed his arms as his stomach grumbled, "And Sanji was being mean and not letting me get something to eat. He said I had to wait."

Chopper was about to remind Luffy that he'd eaten not four hours ago, when Kidd came lumbering out of the trees with a muffled curse. Chopper froze, but then promptly remembered his encounter with the red head from earlier, and questioned Kidd, despite the other's scowling visage, "Hey, did you take the herbal medicine that I left you?"

"I'm fine, and I'll never drink anything that disgusting ever again." Kidd narrowed his eyes at Chopper, about to issue a threat, when Luffy interrupted him in his endeavor.

"Are you sick or something?" Luffy adjusted his hat as he tilted his head to study the other pirate captain curiously, "Chopper's a doctor, so you should listen to him."

Kidd turned slightly to frown irritably at Luffy "No, I'm not sick."

Chopper decided to check up on the red head's health later, because he didn't like the way that Kidd was glowering at Luffy. If his reactions were anything to go by, including the cough being gone, Chopper was fairly certain that Kidd was perfectly fine.

Luffy promptly ignored Kidd as he looked around the immediate area, and frowned, since he hadn't yet caught a glimpse of Law, "Where'd he go?" Luffy had thought that he had seen Chopper and Law leave the Thousand Sunny, but had they split up or something?

Kidd was highly offended at being ignored. Who cared where that Heart Pirate bastard had gotten to? If he'd gotten eaten by an animal it would be his own fault. Kidd fumed silently as he watched the Straw Hats, and wondered what he should do to make them not dismiss him so flippantly.

"Do you mean Law? He said that he was going to look for a few more samples. He should be back any moment. He didn't think he'd be gone long, since it doesn't take much time to get around the island." Chopper stopped short, dropping what he was doing as he sniffed the air. A small frown appeared as Chopper looked in the opposite direction that Luffy and Kidd had come from, "I think that he's coming back, but…"

Luffy picked up on his crewmate's concern, "But what?" He wasn't overly worried, since Law seemed perfectly capable of taking care of himself, especially if he used his Devil Fruit powers.

Chopper shook his head as he started to look more concerned, "I think he's injured. I can smell blood."

-x

Law headed back through the forest, putting the beach behind him, as well as the conversation that he had just had. He was displeased that his hat had gone missing at some point during his run-in with Doflamingo, but he wasn't about to go back and look for it, at least not for now. Law resisted the urge to look up, as he couldn't help but feel that Doflamingo was somewhere overhead, watching him. No doubt making sure that he wasn't going to try and cause any trouble. Clenching his uninjured hand once more, Law continued along, going back to the area where he had left Chopper to test plants and other materials, even though the Heart Pirate knew now that it wasn't the island that was the problem. Law skirted the pool of sea water in the forest once more as he tried to figure out how to explain his injuries. He had to try and not upset Chopper, since he didn't want Straw Hat's doctor making a big deal out of the wounds when they got back on the Thousand Sunny. Law tugged the collar of his sweater up around his neck absently as he entered a small clearing. Instead of being greeted by Chopper, two other voices reached him first. Law froze in place in his surprise, a little horrified that any explanation he may have given Chopper wouldn't fly with the others that were now there with him.

"What the hell happened to you?" Kidd appeared to be more or less unconcerned with the Heart Pirate's ruffled appearance, though he did eye Law's wounded hand with a faint frown.

Luffy, who had been leaning over and watching Chopper work, turned at Kidd's words. The Straw Hat Pirate captain looked Law over, noticing the wounds, and he tilted his head inquisitively, "Are you all right, Tra-guy? Where'd your hat go?"

Dammit. What the hell were they doing there? Law thought they had remained on the Thousand Sunny. The Heart Pirate was at a loss of how to explain himself now, as Kidd and perhaps Luffy would notice that the scrapes and cuts and other wounds he had acquired were most certainly _not_ from a wild animal. They were too precise to have been caused by anything other than another person. Law hoped he could figure out a way to delay an explanation, as he wanted to get to the medical supplies on the ship as soon as was possible.

"I want to get some of these samples to the ship to look at. Did you find anything else?" Chopper piped up, saving Law from having to answer about the cause of his wounds, or the fact that his hat had mysteriously gone missing.

"…Yes, I did." Law handed over the samples he retrieved from in the cavern, and watched silently as Chopper wrinkled his nose as he put away the plants and other items in his backpack. Whether the nose wrinkling was the smell of the plants he'd just handed over or his injuries, Law had no idea. Law was more concerned with figuring out just what the hell he was supposed to do now. The Heart Pirate knew that there was no way he could directly confront Doflamingo, as the blond would crush him without much of a fight, and it'd be dejavu all over again. Law was jostled from his thoughts as Luffy suddenly seized his left arm, and Law supposed he was relieved that Luffy failed to notice him flinch from the touch. As long as Straw Hat refrained from moving his hand, Law could stand a little manhandling.

"Let's go back to the ship! Chopper can look at that stuff, and Sanji is probably done making dinner!" Motivated by the thought, Luffy tugged Law along cheerfully, as Kidd snickered at the look of long suffering that crossed the Heart Pirate's face.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Chopper finished packing the samples, and looked a little comical as he hastened to catch up with the three pirate captains. They had all started to head in the direction of the beach, Kidd watching Luffy and Law amusedly.

Law resigned himself to the fact that he was walking alongside Luffy, once he had shaken the other off of his arm. If Straw Hat had tugged at it any longer, he would have had the urge to swat the grinning captain for causing his wounded hand to ache even more. Not that Luffy had noticed. Law wore a blank expression when he realized that Kidd was suddenly on his other side. Calmly, Law peeked over at the red head, trying to figure out what he was up to. The Heart Pirate couldn't help but notice that Kidd was unusually silent, and more worryingly, looked thoughtful as he stared straight ahead. Law looked away. He was fairly certain that Kidd had his suspicions on how he had been injured, and Law hoped that he would keep those ideas to himself, at least while around Luffy.

Kidd _had_ been thinking about how Law could have been injured, when the other seemed to be capable of avoiding attacks. If he were injuried, it meant that someone was on the island that at least had an inkling to how Trafalgar's Devil Fruit powers worked. That meant that the other person might actually be a bit of a challenge, if they were better than Law, and that intrigued Kidd. Perhaps he'd challenge them if they were still around. Kidd was about to demand Law tell him, regardless of the consequences of doing so, when Luffy suddenly distracted him by popping up by his side, obviously deciding that he wanted to chat.

"Hey metal guy! Did you think about making an alliance?"

Kidd growled a little as he waved Luffy away from him with his metal limb, "I told you to stop asking me that earlier. I ain't gonna make up my mind just like that! Leave me alone!"

"Nope!" Luffy smiled cheekily, following after Kidd as the red head started to walk faster in an attempt to get away.

Law was almost relieved at the stupidity going on in front of him, because it allowed him to not dwell too much on his recent run in with Doflamingo. The two arguing ahead of him let the Heart Pirate's focus to be on his wounded left hand, which he was carefully keeping elevated as he balanced his sword against his uninjured shoulder. It was entertaining that Kidd was refusing to carry out a conversation with Luffy, and Law bit his lip as Straw Hat persisted in pestering him, making Kidd walk even faster back to the shore. Law tuned the other two captains' words out. He didn't find either of them to be too worrisome at the moment, because the predicament he had been landed with required his full attention.

Law didn't know what to do to counter Doflamingo's threats, because no matter what he did, he would end up getting the short end of the stick. If the storm let up, they could sail away, but if he allowed that, it would put his own crew in danger, because Law was certain that Doflamingo would follow through on his threats. On the other hand, the Heart Pirate knew that it was out of the question to even dare to try and harm Straw Hat. Luffy's crew alone would probably destroy him utterly if he tried to lay a finger on their captain. They were all oddly fond of Straw Hat. If Law attempted to smuggle Caesar out, the whole crew would come after him and that would be the end to their alliance, and Law needed the Straw Hats Pirates cooperation to help him take down Doflamingo and Kaido.

Law ground his teeth, frustrated. Why did Doflamingo have to show up now? Sure things weren't going exactly going according to plan, but Law had never imagined bumping into the other man like this. The blond had severely limited his options, and anything Law could think of doing in retaliation would in turn be very unpleasant for him.

"What happened to you? How did you get hurt?"

Law was drawn out of his thoughts once more as he cast a brief look down at Chopper trotting up to walk alongside him. The Heart Pirate started down at the other silently, before looking away and staring straight ahead, "I don't want to cause any trouble, but as long as you keep quiet about it, I'll tell you."

Chopper was clueless with what Law could possibly do to cause any trouble for his friends, so Chopper merely nodded his agreement, before realizing that Law wasn't looking at him, "All right." Chopper turned his attention to the bickering Kidd and Luffy ahead of them, before asking, "I can't tell Luffy?"

Law shook his head, his tone serious, "Especially not Straw Hat-ya." Seeing the confused look that had appeared on Chopper's face out of the corner of his eye, Law added, "I think I know what kind of response he would have, if he learned who was responsible for my injuries." Law sighed heavily, "And we can't afford to get into a fight here."

Chopper was even more puzzled than before, though he was unable to ask for clarification, since as soon as they had left the forest, the Mediocre Pirates made another appearance. Chopper hid behind one of Law's legs as he eyed the sorry-looking bunch, wondering what they could possibly want.

Law stared expressionlessly at the band of Mediocre Pirates, displeased that another obstacle had shown up in his way. The Heart Pirate soon realized that the other pirates weren't looking for a fight, and were in fact practically groveling at his feet, pleading with him. Law stared at them all silently, noting that the Mediocre Pirates appeared to be oblivious to both Luffy and Kidd. The former was entertained by the sight, while the latter was irritated that the fools had dared to show their faces to him again.

The Mediocre Pirates ignored Kidd glowering at them as they pleaded with the silent warlord before them.

"Please change us back, warlord!"

"We won't bother you anymore!"

"I want to be in my own body again!"

Law let out a low sigh, but he decided to take mercy on the sorry looking men (and women). The Heart Pirate lifted his right hand and twisted a few fingers, almost instantly putting the Mediocre Pirates back to the way they were before they had dared to attack Law on the other island. As Law lowered his hand, he became aware that his left hand was beginning to hurt more and more with every passing minute. He needed to treat it as soon as was possible, since he had more pressing issues to deal with. Namely Doflamingo and his demand that the Heart Pirate take care of things by tomorrow night. The immensely grateful prates currently kowtowing to Law meant nothing to him, so switching the idiots back to normal was almost an automatic reaction. If it stopped the loud, sorry lot from heckling him, then that was good enough.

While Law was occupied by his thoughts once more, Kidd couldn't restrain himself anymore. He started to prowl forward for the Mediocre Pirates, a nasty smile spilling across his lips. Now that he was well again, he was going to deal with these sorry bastards and make them regret ever insulting and attacking him.

"Hey! Don't hurt them! They aren't doing anything wrong!" Chopper protested, remembering that Kidd had been trying to kill the Mediocre Pirates earlier in the day. Chopper turned to Luffy, who was hanging back, and said, "Luffy, I'm going to stop him! He was trying to kill them earlier! They didn't even injure him so there's no reason to hurt them!" Not waiting for a response, Chopper drew out a Rumble Ball from his bag and chomped down on it, transforming into his Monster Point. Chopper took one large step forward as he placed a large hand in Kidd's way, preventing him from attacking the Mediocre Pirates, who had taken to retreating as soon as they saw the red head advancing on them.

Kidd was not at all pleased with Chopper's interference, and lashed out at Luffy and Law instead. He needed to get his bottled up frustration out in some way, and if Straw Hat's little pet was going to protect some loser no name pirates, he was going to take it out on the captain.

Luffy dodged backwards with a perplexed look, while Law stumbled out of the way and hissed softly as the movement caused him to jostle his wounded hand.

Chopper moved to intervene, and since Kidd's attention was on the other two captains, Chopper was able to pin him face down on the beach with relative ease.

Law studied the Straw Hat Pirate doctor in his monstrous form, silently wondering if Chopper had realized that he would need his assistance in treating his wounds. There was only so much that Law could accomplish one-handed.

Kidd cursed as he strained to free himself from Chopper's large palm. When it was clear that he wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon, Kidd used his power to draw in weapons from the Mediocre pirates on the beach, who had retreated a short distance to watch in open-mouthed awe.

Law used his right hand to bring forth a room, and freed his sword from its sheathe in time to slice through the gathered weapons, and stop Kidd from attacking Chopper. Law grit his teeth as the pain in his left hand escalated, and he hoped that he would be able to make it to the ship without passing out from the pain. It was starting to become unbearable, as irritating as that was.

"Dammit." Kidd cursed as he changed his target to Law. The remaining metal lashed out at Law, and the Heart Pirate was unable to get out of the way in time, resulting in a small gash on his left shoulder.

Law backed out of range, but before he could think to retaliate, Luffy finally decided to join in, apparently due to the fact that he didn't like Kidd attacking his friends.

"Chopper! Hold him up!" Luffy yelled as he leapt into the air, pulling back a fist.

"All right." Chopper boomed in return, as he curled his large hand around Kidd. Keeping the red head firmly in his grasp, Chopper lifted Kidd aloft, even as the other struggled to free himself.

"Stop it!"

Kidd has time to register that Straw Hat was flying up from the ground at him, before Luffy slugged him in the face with enough force that it immediately dazed him. Kidd went utterly limp in Chopper's hand, allowing him to lumber over to the Thousand Sunny, and deposit the disoriented man onto the deck, where he lay limply.

Zoro, who had been watching the commotion from the deck, loosened the hold around one of his katanas' hilts, once he saw that everything was under control. Zoro leaned against the railing as he looked down at Kidd, before he shook his head. Lately everything had seemed to become a great production, especially with three pirate captains in close proximity to one another.

On the beach, Chopper was still in his monster point, and the Mediocre Pirates were hesitantly looking up at him, as if wondering if Chopper would come after them next.

Brook, having seen the commotion as Zoro had, had gone ashore and approached the Mediocre Pirates, speaking to them in a polite tone, "Is there a problem here?"

A few of the pirates were startled by Brook's appearance, and attacked out of panic at being addressed by a skeleton.

Brook didn't seem all that concerned as he avoided their attacks, and returned it with one of his own. He walked by those that had attacked him, and started to sheathe his cane, "You shouldn't attack people out of the blue like that. Three Humming Verse…" The Mediocre Pirates turned to try and attack again, as Brook finished sheathing the cane, "Arrow Notch Slash." The pirates that had attacked Brook fell over unconscious. Brook turned to face the other pirates, tilting his head to the side as he spoke calmly, "Are you going to cause any trouble for me and my friends?"

The Mediocre Pirates' nerves deserted them and they fled, picking up their downed comrades as they rushed off along the shore, "It's a curse! Run!"

"Don't let the skeleton get near you!"

Brook was confused by this reaction, before he shrugged and picked up Chopper, who had just changed back into his small form, and headed back to the ship, muttering, "Just because I'm all bones doesn't mean that I'm cursed."

Law had dropped the room he had created absently as soon as he'd seen there was no need to maintain it. He really needed to be alone to think so he could try and figure some way out of his predicament. Law's left hand was throbbing, and brought his attention to it, and Law hoped that Chopper would be well enough that he could assist him with some stitches. Law knew he would certainly need them for his palm, and unfortunately a few for the back of his hand.

Law trailed along after Brook silently, aghast at all that had transpired on the island, even if it had been quite satisfying to see Kidd get clocked by Luffy. But no amount of satisfaction could make up for Doflamingo's words echoing in his mind, nor the blond's painful reminder that had marked his hand.

For once, Law was having trouble formulating a clear plan, and watched as Brook walked up to him once he was back on board the Thousand Sunny.

Brook handed Chopper off to Law, who took the limp reindeer with a nod. Brook noticed Nami walking by, and all thoughts of curses left him, as well as the fact that Law had slipped off to the cabins with Chopper as he questioned Nami seriously, "May I see your panties?" The skeleton musician was sent across the deck with a punch from Nami, along with a vehement "No!" Brook lay at an odd angle on the ground, humming in disappointment, though he was glad that a bump on his skull was the most damage he would receive, since Nami was now focused on the sky. Brook righted himself. Maybe he'd ask at another time.

-x

Kidd came out of his daze relatively quickly, and he was absolutely and utterly livid that Luffy had dared to punch him again. Kidd touched the tender spot gingerly, grinding his teeth as he realized that Luffy had punched him there earlier. Kidd dropped his hand with a scowl. It was even more infuriating because it had been done to prevent him from harming Law or Chopper, and not because of the Mediocre Pirates.

Kidd stewed on the Thousand Sunny's grassy deck, thinking about how best to respond to the insult. Kidd eyed the activity going on around him darkly, and bared his teeth at Usopp and a younger boy, both of whom skittered away to watch him from a safe distance. Kidd ignored them as he decided that he would bide his time, and retaliate when his head wasn't aching so much.

-x

Law had managed to seclude himself in the cabins with Chopper, and since the reindeer had regained mobility a few moments ago, Law showed him his wounded hand. The sooner he treated his wounds, the sooner he could get to thinking about his problems and the best course of action to take. Even if that course of action happened to not be the best decision for his well-being.

Chopper inspected the small hole in the middle of Law's hand, as well as the gash across the back of it, and winced in sympathy. Chopper went to a corner of the cabin to to dig out medical supplies, "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Chopper returned, hopping up on a chair next to a small table that Law held his hand over. Chopper passed over some disinfectant to Law as he located a suture, and watched as the Heart Pirate rested his hand on the table on some cloth.

"I was attacked…" Law responded absently as he cleaned the wound with a faint line of pain crossing his brow. When he was satisfied that it was as clean as it could be, he lifted his hand close to scrutinize the wound. He was lucky that Dolfmaingo's string had only nicked his tendons, and not severed them completely. That would have set him back on the amount of recovery time he would have needed for that kind of an injury, "By an old acquaintance…an enemy..."

Chopper froze in the process of threading the suture, and looked up at Law in alarm, "What do you mean, someone attacked you? Are they going to come attack the ship too?!" Why wouldn't Law want to inform everyone else that someone had attacked him? Why would he want to keep quiet about it?

"No, he won't come here. At least not right away…" Law shook his head, silent as he stared glumly at the deep laceration across the back of his hand where it went through his tattoo. It would take some work to fix it, but that could be dealt with once the injury had more or less healed over. Doflamingo had him well and truly cornered, and the blond must have known that he wouldn't say anything to the Straw Hat Prates, lest they try and start a fight on the island. It was something that Law wanted to avoid at all costs. He needed them to help him take out the factory, among other things, and as much as the Heart Pirate would have liked to see Doflamingo taken down sooner rather than later, Law wanted to follow through on his plan.

Two and a half hours later…

Kidd was beginning to feel as trapped as Law had mentioned in his distress call. The weather was still horrid, and the general cheer amongst the Straw Hat Pirates was working up his temper. It didn't help that Law was hanging out near the mast in a languid position and was just taking the abuse the Straw Hats piled on him. It was bordering on the ridiculous. It was almost painful to watch, especially when the a few of the Straw Hats started trying to force the Heart Pirate to eat some food, but Law was having none of it.

"I don't like bread. I'm not eating it, Black leg-ya." Law stated as he gave Sanji a level gaze, even if he had given the plate the cook was holding a disgusted look moments before.

"Well, sandwiches are all you're getting right now. Eat it or starve, 'cause there's not going to be anything else any time soon." Sanji was unsympathetic to Law's plight, "The rice is still cooking, so you'll just have to wait for more rice balls."

Law set his jaw as Kidd brushed past his spot next to the mast and plucked a sandwich off the plate, smirking. Kidd took a bite, surprised to find that it was actually decent. In fact, it was probably one of the best sandwiches he'd had in some time. Kidd took another bite, relishing the dirty look Law was giving him, and decided it was time to ruffle the Heart Pirate's feathers a bit, "Too bad you won't eat sandwiches. No wonder you're such a skinny bastard."

Law, despite the ridiculous circumstances and the dark thoughts that currently clouded his mind, drew his sword in a flash with his uninjured hand, his left shaking as it held the sheathe. Dimly he hoped that the stitches wouldn't come loose. With one sharp movement, Law swatted the remainder of the sandwich out of Kidd's hand with his blade. Law didn't notice Sanji's expression at the waste of food, as the Heart Pirate was far more concerned that Kidd was looking murderous, either because of the action, or the fact that the blade had come very close to his right hand.

Law stood his ground, his hand tightening on his sword's hilt as he taunted Kidd. It was a reckless and stupid thing to do, but the red head poking fun at his dietary habits was a breaking point, "If I'm a skinny bastard, then what does that make you? An idiot muscle head that gets banged up 'cause he can't bother to get out of the way of someone else's attacks?" Law expected Kidd to attack with the way he advanced on him, but the cook beat him to it. Law grunted as Sanji's kick sent him flying across the deck. Law bit back a pained yelp as he landed, his left hand knocking painfully against the deck.

Everything went to hell when both Kidd and Sanji went after Law, who lay winded on the deck, struggling to keep silent as his hand began to throb. Law rolled out of the way of another kick from Sanji, as well as a swipe from Kidd. "Room," Law gasped out, smiling faintly as he sliced through the nearest part of the deck, and sent it flinging into Kidd and knocking him backward into Sanji.

Franky, who'd been nearby, stopped what he was doing and stared in horror at the state of the deck inside the range of Law's room. What did he think he was doing?

Law jabbed his finger at the deck, near where Sanji and Kidd were, "Tact." Parts of the deck rose up and began to fall toward the two other men. The Heart Pirate was in a bad mood, and it wasn't improved with his again aching hand. Law really wasn't up for a fight, but he was fed up with being harassed.

Sanji threw himself to one side, while Kidd blocked the pieces of the grassy deck with his left arm, cursing profusely. "Dammit Trafalgar. Quick playing tricks and fight!"

"I'm not going toe to toe with you Eustass-ya." Law twisted his fingers at the pieces of deck, intent on at least causing Kidd more inconvenience, when Franky let loose a blast that sent them into the air, Sanji included, with a loud shout.

"Franky Radical Beam!"

Kidd began to flail in the air as soon as he noticed that he was rushing toward the sea. Again. He felt a little better when he noticed that Trafalgar was going to end up in the water, as well as the cook. Kidd passed out as something struck him heavily, and his last thought was that this time around, he hoped he wouldn't need to have CPR.

Robin came over to stand next to Franky, who was looking the deck over with a lost look, and she patted one of his arms reassuringly, "It should piece back together." She glanced over in the direction that the three men had been flung, "Hm, someone should get them before sea kings or sharks eat them."

"Don't say something like that! What if they're all unconscious?!" Usopp demanded, not reassured at all when Robin merely smiled at him, while she remained next to Franky to console him about the state of the ship's deck.

Zoro let out a sigh as he headed for the side of the ship, "Damn cook should have avoided that." Zoro hopped over the side of the ship, resigned to go retrieve the stupid captains of other ships. Sanji was perfectly able to swim, provided he hadn't been knocked unconscious.

"Zoro! You went over on the wrong side of the ship! They're over there!" Usopp called down to the green haired swordsman, who quickly dove beneath the ship in the indicated direction.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Bah, parts of the chapter sound a little odd, so I think I'll go back at some point and fix it when I lay my finger on what exactly my issue with it is. Maybe I'm just imagining things.

Some silliness this chapter and some in the next one.


	9. Chapter 9

Zoro, on the right side of the ship now, came across Kidd first. Zoro grabbed a handful of the red head's coat, and kicked for the surface. The swordsman adjusted his grip when he broke the surface, ignoring Kidd mumbling protests under his breath. Zoro heard a splash, and turned his head, spotting Sanji nearby. The cook had Law resting over one of his shoulders, the Heart Pirate limp and coughing. Zoro ignored a weak chuckle that rose from Kidd at the sight, as the swordsman shook his head and headed back for the ship, "I can't believe you couldn't dodge that attack, you shitty cook."

"At least I can keep track of where people fall overboard. Why the hell did you jump over the other side of the ship, mosshead?" Sanji reached the ship first with a smug smirk, causing a scowl to arise from the green haired man nearby.

Law and Kidd tried to tune out the cook and the swordsman's bickering as they were hauled aboard. It wasn't like either of them had the energy to protest, and neither felt the need to be dropped back into the sea for protesting about the way they were being treated.

Zoro dropped Kidd down on the deck, and the red head merely uttered an irritated grunt. Sanji similarly set Law onto the deck, though not as heavily as Zoro had.

Law wouldn't have cared one way or another if Sanji had thrown him to the ground, because he wasn't in the sea anymore. Law coughed up some water while he rested gratefully against the solid grass deck beneath him. The Heart Pirate had managed to hold his breath for longer than he had thought. Because of that, he hadn't taken in much sea water when his lungs finally gave out. Law stretched out, inwardly sighing. He had not expected to be blasted into the air and into the water below by Straw Hat's shipwright. Law had barely managed to brace himself before going underwater. At least he'd almost immediately been dragged up to the surface by the cook, and Law was fairly certain that he had been muttering something about Devil Fruit users.

Law let his head rest on the deck a little more heavily as he took a few deep breaths. The Heart Pirate was a bit confused as he lay there with his eyes closed. Law tried to figure out where a few minutes of his time had gone, because he wasn't on his stomach anymore. He was lying on his side, and he didn't remember flopping over. Law was fairly positive that he'd been hunched over and coughing up the little water he had taken in from his sudden dip in the sea. Law turned over, thinking to push himself into a sitting position, when the distinct sound and feel of chains clinking caused him to still. Law's eyes snapped open.

They didn't. They _wouldn't_.

Law stared down mutely at the handcuffs around his wrists and the chain encircling his waist. This complicated things quite a lot, and he didn't even bother to glance over to see if Kidd was in a similar position. He could hear the red head, fully conscious and aware, spluttering in absolute and utter fury at the way he was being treated.

"Take these fucking chains off of me now!" Not only had he nearly drowned again, but he was now restrained. Kidd hadn't even been the one to start the fight. Law had been the one to do that, with his little issue over the sandwiches.

Law tested the chain and cuffs, before he sighed wearily. Sea prism stone. He and Kidd had been put in sea prism stone handcuffs. No wonder he was feeling more exhausted than normal. When the hell had the Straw Hat Pirates grabbed them? At least the cuffs didn't bump into his injured hand, but Law knew that if he moved without being careful, he could potentially hurt it. "Where did the chains come from?" Law questioned, and tilted his head as a shadow fell over him. It was the orange haired woman, Nami, as she looked down at him to respond to his question.

"We thought we should take some extras from Punk Hazard before we left. Just in case."

"Why would you need them in the first place? Caesar is already taken care of, so what reason would there be to have any extras?" The Heart Pirate did not like the look Nami gave him. It was decidedly unnerving, especially when the navigator just smiled and didn't say anything.

Luffy, meanwhile, was nearby and pestering Chopper, "Is there something wrong with them? Why did they start fighting?"

Kidd rolled over so that he faced the Straw Hat Pirate captain. The motion was done with a bit of an effort due to the chains, though Kidd ignored it as he snarled, "I thought you fools were supposed to be scary motherfuckers, but you're really just crazy bastards with luck on your side." Kidd strained against the chains and cuffs, lost his strength momentarily due to the sea prism stone, before he continued with a low growl of irritation, "The only reason I came over in the first place was to see Trafalgar losing his mind."

Luffy perked up at this, and he went over to the Heart Pirate and dropped down into a crouch next to him, "Are you losing your mind?" Luffy was curious, so he either didn't notice or didn't care that Kidd was glaring daggers at his back.

The Heart Pirate knew that most answers would be useless when it came to Straw Hat, so he replied tonelessly, "It seems so." What Law hadn't expected was for those three words to set Luffy off in a panic, and as soon as Law realized what was about to happen, he nearly groaned. It was something he didn't need in addition to his worries about Doflamingo.

"Chopper! Does Tra-guy have a disease? Is it gonna make everyone on the ship act weird like him?"

Law was a bit miffed at Straw Hat's interpretation, especially since Luffy was the one who was weirder. Law withheld a sigh as Luffy had Chopper take him to the infirmary. At the very least, he could have Chopper make sure that his hand wouldn't be bothered due to the cuffs. Law hoped that Chopper would continue to keep quiet about where he had gotten his injuries, because he didn't want to think about Luffy's reactions to Doflamingo being the one that caused them. Law then remembered that he hadn't mentioned Doflamingo's name to Chopper.

Kidd was speechless at what he had just witnessed, before he promptly started to crack up. Even though the sea prism stone restraints were a pain, the sight of Law with a floored and very miserable expression was too good of a sight not to laugh at. Kidd wasn't laughing for long as Luffy came back for him.

"I think he has whatever Tra-guy has!" Luffy declared as he seized Kidd by his shoulder.

Kidd cursed profusely as Luffy dragged him off toward the infirmary, "Let go of me dammit! I won't let you get away with this! I'll kill you!" Kidd was infuriated that a majority of Straw Hat's crew tried and failed to hide their mirth at his plight. Kidd glowered at each of them. He would get back all of them as soon as these fucking chains were off of him.

-x

Chopper's infirmary on the ship was quiet, and Law and Kidd were all alone. Neither was happy to be in the company of the other, but both were relieved for the silence. Chopper had managed to convince Luffy that both of the other pirate captains needed to be in a quiet environment, so that they could calm down, so to speak. Once they were all alone, there had been an unspoken agreement between the two to keep the silence, before Kidd broke it as something occurred to him.

"I thought you'd been joking about Straw Hat driving you insane." When Law didn't immediately respond, Kidd smirked faintly, "What, did you die Trafalgar? Too much for you to handle?" There was a short pause, before Law grumbled a response.

"I'm perfectly healthy, aside from my injuries, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you would shut your mouth and let me get some rest. I've been lacking it lately." Not that Law wanted to, as he still needed to formulate a plan of what to do about Doflamingo lurking around in the area. He was rather surprised that the blond hadn't just raided the ship and taken what he wanted. Law supposed that it was a test, and Doflamingo really should have known that he wasn't going to do as directed. The Heart Pirate was done taking orders from the older man. Striking off with a crew of his own was a testament to that.

Kidd tried to twist around to kick Law, but found that he was unable to do so, and figured out the reason why. At some point, when Luffy had been dragging them into the room, that the orange haired woman had come in to watch the proceedings. She had somehow linked the sea prism stone chains together, instead of undoing them. This left the two pirate captains back to back, and unable to do anything to free themselves. Kidd's anger began to boil over again as murderous intentions rose to the forefront of his mind.

Law sensed that the tensing in the other was bottled up fury, and he sighed as he rested his head on the ground. He seemed to be doing that more as of late, "There's no point in getting angry and tiring yourself out." Really, this was going to get him nowhere, and the more Kidd struggled, the more he jostled Law's bandaged hand.

The tension in Kidd dissolved as he thought about it, and then conceded the point, even if he didn't want to admit defeat. He was quiet for a moment, before growling lowly, "I want to destroy something."

Law withheld a sigh, wondering just when he would catch a break. First Luffy, then Doflamingo, and now Kidd. The night couldn't get any worse than if Doflamingo dropped out of the sky to murder him instead of waiting to see if the Heart Pirate would actually do as he had asked. Law darted a quick look out the nearest window, as if expecting to see the tall man lurking there with a twisted smile. Much to his relief, there was no one there.

"What about that bastard?"

Law jolted out of his thoughts, and realized that he had just said that out loud. He had obviously caught Kidd's attention, because the idiot was jostling the chains as he tried glancing over his shoulder at him. Damn. Law hadn't meant to speak aloud. Well, there was no use keeping quiet about it, because now Kidd wouldn't let him get some sleep until after he received an explanation. Law couldn't help but feel like Doflamingo was nearby, probably watching the ship with a wide smile of amusement. The Heart Pirate focused on something else to rid himself of the image.

"To take down Kaido, we captured Caesar to stop the production of S.A.D., and had Doflamingo step down as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. You obviously saw that in the paper, didn't you?"

Kidd was silent for a moment before he laughed mercilessly, "That was _your_ doing?" Kidd shook his head, amused, "I don't even know why it bothers you to be around the Straw Hats when you fit right in with them for doing incredibly stupid, foolhardy things. Doflamingo's even crazier than Straw Hat is."

Law bristled, opening his mouth to protest that he was not at all like Straw Hat and his crew, when Kidd cut him off.

"You're a fool to cross another warlord _and _an emperor, Trafalgar. You're playing a very dangerous game."

"I'm aware that it is." Law was mindful of the danger, especially after his recent encounter with other said warlord. Or ex-warlord. He had been lucky to get away with superficial wounds. Law had been expecting more anger and more debilitating injuries. There was no doubt in the Heart Pirate's mind that Doflamingo had something planned. Not even he would be so calm as to merely step down as a warlord, knowing what he would lose. There was definitely something suspicious about it all. Law shifted as he tried to make himself more comfortable, deciding he needed rest in order to make a coherent plan, "I don't need you telling me that when you're always throwing yourself into danger."

Kidd snorted, pointedly ignoring the jab for now as he responded, "I'll watch the outcome with interest. At the very least I'll get to see you and the Straw Hats do something insane. If you guys are actually successful, maybe I'll come back and play." Kidd closed his eyes. He didn't feel like talking for much longer. He couldn't free himself from the chains, and being sleep deprived would make his reactions slower, and he didn't want that. Kidd released a low sigh, "I could use a bigger challenge. Things have been far too easy in the new world so far. Destroying some of Big Mom's ships was nothing."

Law was silent for a moment, "You're going after the four emperors as well, aren't you? Why else would you form an alliance with the Scratchmen and Hawkins Pirates?"

Kidd made a noncommittal grunt, making it clear that he had no intention of responding to the query.

Law closed his eyes, a faint smile forming, "You sure are a scary bastard, Eustass-ya." The Heart Pirate drifted off amidst a chuckle from Kidd.

Just before Kidd fell asleep, he muttered drowsily over his shoulder to the slumbering Law, "You are too, for allying yourself with such unpredictable people."

-x

Being woken up the following morning was a noisy affair, but both Kidd and Law had been relieved that the sea prism stone handcuffs and chains had been removed.

Law rubbed his wrists, though he winced a little when he tested his bandaged hand. It didn't seem like the stiches had ripped out, as there was no blood showing through the bandages. Law rested his hand on his lap, and watched in silence as Kidd loomed over Luffy a short distance away. The red head was obviously doing this in an attempt to intimidate the other to show just how unhappy he was with what had happened the previous day and night. Law dropped his other hand to his lap as Luffy said something in response and whapped Kidd on the shoulder, nearly jostling him. Law smiled faintly. It was funny to see someone like Kidd be nearly knocked off balance by someone like Straw Hat. The Heart Pirate could really use a few more ridiculous moments, because he knew that he would have to face Doflamingo one way or another that night.

Law wandered off before anyone stopped to question him, as he needed to be alone to think things over. Not to mention he didn't want to give the Straw Hat Pirates any reason to go after him with the sea prism stone again.

Zoro, lifting some weights nearby, watched the Heart Pirate walk away. When the other was out of view, the swordsman went back to focusing on his training.

-x

The morning passed with some back and forth chatter, so it wasn't anything too troublesome. Law avoided the Straw Hats for the time being, while Kidd occupied himself by staring out at the stormy seas. The red head was no doubt wondering just when in the hell he would be able to get back onto his own ship.

Kidd glanced over his shoulder and watched Law disappear into a cabin. Kidd turned away with a grumble. Before he and Law had been freed of the handcuffs earlier in the morning, they had had another discussion. Kidd was not at all pleased that he had been given a message to give to Luffy in the near future. Kidd tapped his mechanical arm in thought, not noticing Chopper and Usopp inching closer, staring at his arm. Suffice to say, Kidd was distracted from the idea of passing messages along when the two Straw Hat Pirates started attempting to engage him in conversation.

The deceptive calm went on until early afternoon, when Law knew that he had a decision to make. Law leaned against the nearest railing of the ship in thought, his sheathed blade propped up next to him.

Did he hand Caesar over and take care of Luffy? Or did he warn the Straw Hat Pirates about his encounter on the island, and have them carry out the plan? Law felt that he would have to stay behind on the island to delay Doflamingo as long as was possible. Something that he had mentioned to Kidd. Law had a few hours at best before he had to head over to the cave. The Heart Pirate stared up at the partly cloudy sky. He wondered if Doflamingo had considered that he might run away.

Law's thoughts drifted to his crew, and he clenched a fist. He was fairly certain that he had gotten them to go far enough away, but he didn't dare try and get a message to them now. Not with Doflamingo's threats of tracing them and wiping them out, along with anything else he may care about. A chill went up Law's spine at the idea of being dragged back and forced to work for Doflamingo, and hastily shoved the notion away.

Law crossed his arms. He was trapped, and the only thing he could do now was what he thought would be best. Law would have to trust that his crew would keep their heads down until he went to rejoin them. And right now, Law would have to believe that Straw Hat and his crew would take the ship and Caesar away from Doflamingo, at least until they reached the spot they had agreed upon for the trade over. Law still had doubts about why it hadn't been harder to get Doflamingo to resign as a warlord. Law sighed inwardly. He didn't have time to think about that now. Law would have to take his chances with Doflamingo, and ride on the fact that the older man probably didn't think he would stay behind and not do as he had demanded. Doflamingo would find out that his threats were not enough to make Law compliant.

Emboldened by the thought that he would be able to catch Doflamingo off guard, Law pushed away from the railing and started to walk over the grassy deck of the Thousand Sunny. The Heart Pirate thought he didn't have anything to worry about until later. Law stopped short when he spotted Luffy leaning over the other side of the ship, no doubt drooling over some fish again. Law cut across the deck, thinking that he could talk to Luffy now, to see if he could convince the other to leave him behind on the island. It was going to be a difficult task to complete, since Luffy was likely to become upset with the very idea. That was when Law's resolve wavered, as he suddenly became aware that while he was still heading over to Luffy, he wasn't doing it under his own power.

Law caught a glint out of the corner of his eyes, and his breath hitched in shock when he caught sight of a wide smile. Doflamingo was on the ship, and the son of a bitch had caught him with his Devil Fruit powers. Law hadn't even realized it. Law immediately fought against the other's control, even when he knew for a fact that it would do no good. Law flinched when the strings merely tightened and forced him to continue forward, though his movements were a little shaky due to just how much he was resisting. The Heart Pirate's eyes darted around the immediate area. The only other person in sight other than the oblivious Luffy was Zoro, and the swordsman was lying down, taking a nap, and therefore unhelpful.

Law drew nearer to Straw Hat, growing more concerned by the second. The Heart Pirate, unable to free himself, figured he would let out a warning to the other. At the very least, it might wake the swordsman up. Law opened his mouth to call out to the other captain, when an invisible string cinched around his throat, making him struggle for breath instead. The situation wasn't helped as Luffy was all but leaning over the railing by now, unaware that Law drawing closer. Luffy's arm was reaching out for what was an undoubtedly tasty looking fish, with the amount of drool that was visible. Law strained against the invisible string's control even as Doflamingo tightened them to the point that it was excruciatingly painful. But the Heart Pirate refused to do any harm to Straw Hat, even if Doflamingo was trying to goad him into doing so.

Law let out a breathless choke of protest as he felt his arms rise of their own volition, as he was forced into shoving Luffy squarely in the back. Law cursed Doflamingo as the push pitched Straw Hat over the side of the ship. Almost immediately after he'd done so, Law felt the invisible string's presence vanish. He was back in control of his own body. Law acted instantly, bringing forth a room and transporting Luffy back onto the deck. Law rested on his back on the deck and breathed a low sigh of relief that Luffy was merely spluttering in confusion. No doubt the upset look was due to the fish getting away. The Heart Pirate glanced up at where he had spotted Doflamingo, and was unsurprised to find that the other man had taken his leave. Law tensed where he lay as Luffy leaned over him and looked down at him quizzically.

"You fell into the sea. You shouldn't lean over the railing like that." Law didn't know what else to say, and before Straw Hat could question him, Law stood up and drifted off to the galley. He needed to be out of sight for a moment, and rethink his plan.

While Luffy watched him leave with a puzzled look, the Heart Pirate didn't notice that someone else had witnessed the incident, and that person was not at all happy with what he had seen.

-x

Luffy wondered why Law had walked off like that. The Heart Pirate was acting a little strange. Luffy was about to go after him, to see why, when a voice stopped him.

"Luffy, wait."

"Hm?" Luffy half turned to see Zoro walking down a few stairs. One of the swordsman's hands was resting on his katanas' hilts, like he was ready to draw them.

Zoro halted next to his captain, watching Law disappear into the cabin. When the door closed, Zoro looked at Luffy with a frown, "You do realize that he pushed you in, right?"

Luffy crossed his arms and looked at the green haired swordsman in disbelief, "Tra-guy helped me out of the water."

"You didn't feel him shove you? I saw him do it." Zoro couldn't believe this. Sure, he'd been surprised that the Heart Pirate had done something like that. Then again, just because they had an alliance didn't mean that Law wasn't going to eventually betray them, in one way or another.

Luffy was upset by this, "He didn't shove me! I lost my balance! Tra-guy wouldn't do that. We're friends."

Zoro jabbed a finger at Luffy, irritated now at his captain's cluelessness and willingness to believe anything someone told him, "You idiot! I just told you that I saw him do it. You may think you're friends, but that doesn't mean that Heart Pirate thinks the same way you do."

Luffy shook his head, stubborn in his belief that Law had helped him instead of trying to harm him.

Zoro wanted to smack the stupid out of Luffy, but let the issue go, for now. Zoro stared silently as Luffy walked off to the cabins, no doubt to go find Law. Zoro followed after a moment's pause. Now that he had seen it, the swordsman felt obligated to keep an eye on the Heart Pirate. Zoro would find proof for Luffy, if that was what was it took to convince his captain. Because it sure as hell looked like the shove had been intentional, even if Law had gotten Luffy out of the sea immediately after the incident.

-x

An hour later and Law had sufficiently reclaimed his composure. His calm demeanor was mainly due to the belief that he did not have to worry about Doflamingo showing up on the Thousand Sunny again. At least, that was what the Heart Pirate had believed, since he didn't think that the older man would announce his presence so willingly. Law knew that he should have known better. Doflamingo had a twisted sense of humor it seemed, and the Heart Pirate knew he should have been prepared for the blond to pull another stunt. That Law wasn't ready for the possibility only led to more problems on his end, specifically from one of Straw Hat's crewmates.

Zoro did not at all appreciate Law putting one of his friends in danger. Especially not his cheerfully oblivious and trusting captain.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

This chapter and the next were originally one chapter, but it just got to be too long for me to edit it so I split it up. On a side note, I like to write Zoro being protective of the crew (especially Luffy), as well as writing Luffy as being oblivious and distracted by meat. At least until things get serious, then he'll be less clueless and more focused.

Thanks again for the reviews, favs and follows. I'm glad that it sounds like the story is going all right so far. You know, especially because it is going to go for much longer than I had originally anticipated.


	10. Chapter 10

Early afternoon was a bit better than late morning, considering that Law was able to get lunch that he would actually eat. Law had just finished off a few rice balls that had finally been made, and thought that he would go somewhere to relax for a little while. Law decided that the quietest room was likely to be the area with the aquarium. Staring at fish swimming back and forth aimlessly should put his mind at ease while he thought about what to do. With that in mind, Law avoided bumping into Luffy as he headed through the ship. Law shouldered the door open and dropped down onto a chair, letting out a low sigh. Just as he was about to think about his plans for the fast approaching night, Law became aware of something flailing out of the corner of his eye.

Law turned his head, and jolted out of the chair, raising his hand and creating a room without thought. What the hell was Straw Hat doing inside the aquarium with the fish? Other than drowning, that is. Law figured that because he had been foiled earlier in getting a meal, that Luffy had merely overbalanced into the aquarium. The Heart Pirate, however, felt that wasn't the case. Law twisted his hand, and Luffy collapsed onto the floor nearby, a pillow floating in the aquarium in his place. The fish nudged the pillow, obviously more interested in it than the drowning captain that had just been there. Law wondered if Straw Hat fell in it on accident, before he dropped the room and crouched down next to Luffy.

Luffy opened his eyes as he stretched, and offered a weary grin to Law, "I was hungry."

Seeing that Straw Hat was none the worse for the wear, Law sat back down on the chair. He watched as Luffy shook out his wet clothing, before venturing to speak, "You could have told Black-leg-ya."

Luffy left off trying to dry his clothes as he flopped onto his back with a sigh, "I tried but he just hit me over the head with a ladle. Said I had to wait for lunch to be done."

Law rested his weapon against his shoulder, "I just ate."

Luffy lurched to his feet in a blur of motion, alarmed, "Ehh!? Sanji already made lunch?!" Without waiting for a response, Luffy launched himself toward the exit, yelling as he went, "Sanji! You better still have meat!"

Law tried to relax, but being all alone and seeing the pillow floating in the aquarium, he couldn't. Law rose to his feet, and, taking his weapon with him, went to go find another quiet area of the ship. He had an uneasy feeling that Doflamingo was responsible for Straw Hat's dip into the tank.

The remainder of the afternoon went downhill from there, and Law became more disgruntled than anxious when Doflamingo showed up somewhere on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. The lack of concern was because Law knew that Doflamingo was merely toying with him. The Heart Pirate wasn't as worried with him stealing Caesar away because of that. Law did, however, have to be apprehensive about Luffy's well-being, because Doflamingo was obviously entertained by the notion of offing Straw Hat on his own ship.

-x

Several hours later, Law was exhausted and mentally drained. He couldn't believe that Doflamingo had showed up a few more times, and none of the Straw Hat Pirates noticed. Whenever Doflamingo had made an appearance, it had been to either manipulate him with string to attack Luffy, or to make Straw Hat end up in unfortunate, almost accident. Law had lost count by now, but after the incident with the knives in the kitchen and the rope in one of the cabins, Law had taken to secluding himself in one of the storage areas of the ship. Law thought that if he could stay away from Luffy for a few hours, everything would be all right. Doflamingo seemed to be keen on the idea of him harming Luffy, so the solution was to lay low and not allow Doflamingo another opportunity.

Law leaned against a crate in the area that held weapons and ship building supplies, exhaling slowly. He had been lucky that none of the other Straw Hats seemed to have noticed that their captain had been placed in several dangerous positions throughout the day. Law hoped, after the last appearance, that Doflamingo had gone back to the island to wait for him to go there with Caesar. Law closed his eyes. He was being driven into a corner, and he hated it. It was frustrating. Law let his thoughts drift, until he became aware of another person's presence. Law's eyes flew open at a sly chuckle. The Heart Pirate's back pressed up against the crate at the sight of Doflamingo crouching in front of him, wearing an amused smirk.

Law recoiled, thinking about throwing himself to the side, when one of Doflamingo's hands slammed into the crate, blocking his way. Law flicked his gaze to Doflamingo's, not bothering to try to go the other way. He didn't like the idea of actually being boxed between the man's two arms. As soon as Law realized that he was already resigning himself to being bullied by Doflamingo, he found it unacceptable. Law was tired and frustrated and this was not at all how he had wanted to spend his day.

Law twitched both of his hands, relieved to find that he could bend his left hand very faintly. Doflamingo wouldn't expect an attack at such a close range. While Law had been able to bring forth a room as soon as he'd seen the blond, his weapon was not within reach. Doflamingo had kicked it carelessly away, and Law didn't dare try and get it, as the older man was probably expecting him to. Law doubted he'd be able to draw it at the moment anyway with Doflamingo in such close proximity.

Doflamingo was unaware of the Heart Pirate's plan, and was instead eying him silently. There was something about the gleam in Law's eyes that he didn't like. It had changed from a moment before. When he had blocked the brat's escape route, Law seemed to have given in. But now, the look had changed into one of determination. Doflamingo laughed lowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself by alerting Straw Hat Luffy's crew, "Fufufufu. Hiding, Law? I thought I told you to take care of Straw Hat before coming back to that island tonight, didn't I?" Doflamingo received nothing but a narrowing of eyes, and a slight curl to the Heart Pirate's lips.

Doflamingo smiled in return, wondering what the hell Law found so damn funny when he obviously had the upper hand. Law's weapon was lying several yards away, and he had to have known that if he tried to escape, he could easily catch him with his Devil Fruit powers. Doflamingo's grin stretched, wondering what Law thought he could possibly do that would make him feel that he wasn't as cornered as he was. When the Heart Pirate acted, Doflamingo hadn't been at all prepared for his move.

Law figured it was now or never. The attack hadn't worked on Vergo, so he doubted it would work on Doflamingo, but if nothing else it would be a nasty little shock. The surprise would give him time to put some distance between himself and the blond. Keeping his eyes locked on Doflamingo's tinted glasses, Law curled his hands so that only his thumbs stuck out, and spoke levelly as he prepared to deliver the attack, "You keep interfering, so that is why nothing has happened." Aware of Doflamingo's hand right next to his head twitch, Law brought his curled hands forth as quickly as he could. He shoved his thumbs against Doflamingo's lower chest, as he couldn't reach any further up with the angle he was in. Law acted before Doflamingo could, "Counter shock."

As incredibly satisfying as it was to shock Doflamingo, Law didn't stop to look at the result. As soon as he dropped the room, Law ducked beneath Doflamingo's twitching arm. Law lurched to his feet, stooping as he went to hide behind various supplies. Law moved along, weaving between other crates, thinking to get to the upper decks as quickly as he could. He loathed leaving his weapon behind, but if it allowed him to get away for the time being, he would do so. What Law didn't realize was that his little stunt had set Doflamingo off, and he should have been paying better attention to where he was going.

The Heart Pirate's first indication that he had possibly made a bad move was a slashing sound, accompanied by crashes. Law chanced a glance over his shoulder, and the sight of a livid, singed Doflamingo urged him to get a move on.

"Bullet String."

Law hissed in pain as the string grazed his shoulder. Apparently Doflamingo was foregoing silence, and seemed to be intent on cornering him. Law cursed as several supply crates crashed onto the ground in front of him, blocking his path. Law eluded another attack as he created a room automatically; taking him several paces forward, out of immediate sight. Law spotted the stairs leading to the upper deck, and rushed toward it. The Heart Pirate hadn't realized that Doflamingo was done playing around. Law paused for one instant, sure he had heard voices, when a heavy weight hit him and knocked him to the ground.

Doflamingo held Law down with one hand, panting a little from the exertion of sending so many attacks one after another. He hadn't expected the little bastard to shock him with his hands. Doflamingo looked up sharply as he heard the voices as well. He sneered. It figured that some of the Straw Hats would come and check out what was causing all of the noise. While it would have been convenient to deal with them, he would wait until later, for now.

Doflamingo's fingers fisted the back of Law's shirt firmly, and with one motion, lifted Law clear of the floor as he slammed him up against a nearby crate. Doflamingo flicked a finger at the partially stunned Heart Pirate, and invisible sting pinned the brat against the crate, preventing him from fleeing.

Law didn't even bother testing the invisible string pinioning his limbs. He was focused on the stairs, and the fact that Luffy and Usopp had come to investigate. The back of Heart Pirate's head was smarting from its untimely meeting with the crate, but he had enough sense left in him that he tried to garner their attention. A large hand muffled his voice, however, and Law threw an irritated glare at Doflamingo for silencing him like a child. Law shifted irritably when he realized that Doflamingo wasn't even looking at him, and was instead watching Straw Hat and his crewmate as they conversed with one another.

"Did you hear all that crashing?" The sharpshooter sounded wary.

"Does Sanji keep any of the meat down here?" Straw Hat sounded hopeful.

"This is storage for weapons and supplies to fix the ship!" Usopp sounded exasperated, obviously distracted from investigating the noises.

Law closed his eyes at the stupidity. Couldn't they sense that there were other people down here?

Doflamingo clamped his hand over Law's mouth a little more heavily, not wanting him to give them away. As the two Straw Hats looked around, the blond's smile widened a little as Straw Hat spoke.

"Hey, look! It's Tra-guy's sword!"

"Does that mean he was the one to cause the damage?" Usopp asked, as he watched Luffy pick up the weapon. Had he half turned he would have seen the eerily grinning Doflamingo, and the decidedly unhappy Law.

"C'mon, let's go give it back to him." Luffy toted the sword back up the stairs, as Usopp trailed after him.

"Should we really give that back to him if he is wrecking things?" Usopp wondered aloud, as he reached the top of the stairs.

"He's probably just hungry."

Usopp glanced over his shoulder at the destroyed crates of weapons and ship building supplies, "I don't think that's the problem." Usopp frowned, thinking that he saw movement. Upon closer inspection, it was just a coil of rope. Shrugging, Usopp continued after Luffy, who had cheerfully decided to go and locate the Heart Pirate.

Law watched the Straw Hat Pirates moved out of sight. It just figured that Straw Hat had found his weapon and run off with it. Not that he would have fought with Doflamingo. The room they were in was far too small for a battle between them. Law grumbled something, not caring that Doflamingo sent him a sharp look of warning. It didn't matter if he spoke now or not, because Luffy and Usopp were already out of hearing range overhead. The Heart Pirate thought it was the worst examination possible. They hadn't even looked all the way around the lower deck, or even underneath the stairs. No matter how much Doflamingo wanted to stay hidden, there was no hiding the brightly colored feathery coat he was wearing. Law was almost disappointed that the others hadn't noticed them, but was unsurprised.

Satisfied that Straw Hat and the sharpshooter had taken their leave, Doflamingo removed his hand and spoke in a quiet tone, so that his voice didn't carry, "If you ever do that again, I'll make you regret it."

Law couldn't help but offer a faint smirk. Doflamingo obviously meant the counter shock attack. It didn't seem to have done much damage, but it had certainly ruffled the other man's feathers. So to speak. Law smiled a little more obviously at the thought.

Doflamingo glared at the Heat Pirate, before he broke into a cool smile that stretched across his face. If nothing else, Doflamingo supposed he admired Law for daring to smile at him after what was clearly a reprimand, underlayed with a threat. So, instead of dealing with that at the moment, Doflamingo smoothly changed topics, "I'm rather surprised you went through all the trouble to help Straw Hat Luffy today."

Law was too fatigued and irritable to play games with Doflamingo. His mood wasn't the best, especially with the wound on his shoulder that he now had to take care of, "Straw Hat-ya and I made an alliance. Why would I want to cause harm to him?"

Doflamingo tilted his head, his smile slipping a little, "And what about our little deal from back on the island? How long were you planning to delay taking care of Straw Hat Luffy?" Doflamingo reached out and grasped Law's bandaged left hand, "Or were you trying to figure out how to get them to leave?" Getting no response from the Heart Pirate, Doflamingo lost his smile. He hated to think that Law thought he could do as he pleased, especially after zapping him. It hadn't actually caused him any lasting harm, but it was irritating all the same. Apparently he'd have to deal with that now.

Without a moment's thought, Doflamingo pressed down on the back of Law's hand with his thumb. That got a flinch, and a very nasty glare, even if it contained a hint of pain. "You'll take care of him before coming back to the island with Caesar, won't you?" Doflamingo dug one long forefinger into the palm of the hand, drawing forth a more noticeable pained writhe. Doflamingo smirked. He was definitely going to teach this brat a lesson later.

Law bit his lip as Doflamingo pressed down harder with his thumb and forefinger on his wounded hand. Law bit his lip, and since he wanted Doflamingo to stop, Law didn't care that he caved in so quickly. He just nodded in response to the other's words. Doflamingo could take that however he wanted. Law wasn't about to say anything one way or another, especially since he wasn't sure if it would just come out as a painful groan.

Doflamingo stood up in a crouch, obviously finding Law's lack of sharp retort disappointing. The blond decided that a nod would have to do for an answer. With a final twist of his fingers that drew forth a breathless, choking gasp, Doflamingo released Law's hand. He'd find out soon enough whether Law was stalling for time or not. It didn't matter to him one way or another. With all the clouds around, getting back to the Thousand Sunny would be no problem, especially if Law decided to pull another trick. With a casual wave of his hand, Doflamingo freed Law from the invisible string, "Make sure that you do. I'll be waiting at that cave." With an unnerving chuckle, Doflamingo left.

Law waited for a few minutes before he sat up and nursed his aching hand. Doflamingo better not have made the stitches come loose, but he could already see blood starting to seep through the bandages. Law gritted his teeth. Going after his wounded hand like that, the sadistic son of a bitch. Law rested his head back against the crate. He knew that he was in for a world of hurt when he showed up at that cavern alone tonight. It would be worth it, however, if the Straw Hat Pirates were successful in following through on the plans he had laid out.

An hour before sunset…

Law ghosted along the edges of the Thousand Sunny, carefully noting where each of the Straw Hat Pirates were, as well as the others who were aboard the ship. He needed to know exactly where they all were, before he even tried to locate Luffy and attempt talk to him. Due to the…incidents…throughout most of the day, Law needed to make sure that none of them had realized that Doflamingo had been twistedly attempting to 'aide' Law in taking Straw Hat out. The Heart Pirate was merely glad that Doflamingo had taken his leave without attempting to whisk Caesar away.

Law was also oddly grateful that the tall blond hadn't left the ship laughing his ass off and alerting everyone on board to his presence. Law grimaced a little. Though the creepy chuckle Doflamingo had emitted as he slipped out of the lower decks had been more unsettling than his usual laughter. Law frowned deeply as he ran a hand over his left hand. He had been unable to do anything, again, and had to endure more abuse from the sadistic asshole. Law checked the bandages, displeased that he had had he to go to the infirmary to fix the stitches that had been pulled loose due to Doflamingo's rough treatment of the limb.

Law paused briefly in his survey of those on board the Thousand Sunny. Silently, Law peered over a railing to stare down at the slumbering green haired swordsman. The Heart Pirate studied Zoro silently as he watched the rise and fall of the other's chest. Law relaxed minutely, because that meant the man was asleep, and he wouldn't have to worry about the swordsman. Law continued on his way, carefully taking note of where the others were.

Nico Robin was in the kitchen area with the samurai Kinemon and his son, Momonosuke, while Sanji worked on preparations for dinner. Franky was pouring over the deck piecing it back together, while Brook reeled off a shanty on the violin. Nami was tending to her tangerine trees, and Usopp was checking up on his green pop seeds. Kidd was still staring out to sea, oblivious to anything else for the time being. Chopper was still in the infirmary when Law cracked the door open to check. Law then went and peered into the aquarium room, and spotted Caesar sitting glumly in a corner, sulking. Good, that meant the man hadn't moved since he had dragged him over to stay in the room an hour ago.

Law left, in no mood to get into a conversation with the scientist. Law headed for the sleeping quarters of the ship, now that he knew where everyone was but Luffy. Law assumed that, since he hadn't seen Straw Hat, that perhaps the other had gone off to take a nap or something. Surely having several near-death experiences would have tired out even Luffy.

-x

Law entered the men's sleeping quarters, and moved along noiselessly, until he found who he was looking for. The Heart Pirate stared down at the slumbering Luffy. Apparently Straw Hat had thought that it was a fine time to take a nap, and Law didn't blame him with what had happened that day. Law shifted his blade over to his left shoulder, carefully cradling it with his left hand. He had endured a good-natured scolding about destroying supplies from Nami and Usopp, before Luffy had handed him his weapon two hours previously.

With a careful look crossing his face, Law reached out his right hand and rested it lightly on Luffy's chest. Straw Hat made no response other than to mumble something, and move slightly, mouth open as he stared to snore. Law's hand twitched against Luffy's scarred chest as his mind raced. It would be ridiculously easy to deal with Straw Hat while he was asleep. With everyone else occupied in one way or another, no one would notice that anything was amiss right away. After all, Luffy was prone to doing whatever he wanted, at odd hours of the day.

Straw Hat snuffled and flung an arm over his face, muttering something about tasty meat. The slumbering captain was oblivious to the potential danger of Law popping his heart from his chest. Law almost smiled at Luffy's one track mind, even while asleep. Even if the Heart Pirate did take Luffy's heart from his body, the other was more than likely to find it fascinating that he could function without it in his chest.

The Heart Pirate drew his hand away from the other pirate captain, instead curling his hand around his blade's sheathe. Law ran a contemplative finger along the weapon, before he closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. He was being foolish, especially seeking Luffy out without letting anyone know. If any of Straw Hat's friends walked in on him now it was liable to look bad, especially if any of them had spotted him earlier in the day attempting to make Luffy have an 'accident'. That would be very bad. It would be hard to explain that it wasn't his intention to hurt Luffy. It would also be hard to explain that he had not been in control of his body for a few of the incidents when Doflamingo decided to play puppet master. Law saw no other way around it if he wanted to keep mum about the blond lurking around the island.

Law clenched his fingers more tightly around the hilt of the sword. Law was fairly positive that Doflamingo wouldn't actually keep any promises, even if he did do as the other had asked. Law had been merely acting on auto pilot on the off chance that Doflamingo had been watching him after his most recent run-in with the blond. Law glanced around the room warily. He couldn't believe that he had basically looked as though he'd been hoping that no one would spot him. Even he thought it looked suspicious. Law glanced down at the snoring captain, and frowned. He didn't feel the need to cause any harm to Straw Hat, especially since the other had agreed to help him out. Even if the two of them had different ideas of what an alliance meant, Law hoped that Luffy wouldn't take it personal what had happened today. Hell, Luffy probably thought he had saved his life instead of trying to end it. Damn Doflamingo and his Devil Fruit abilities.

Law was perfectly fine with Luffy thinking that he'd merely helped him because of their alliance. As long as none of Straw Hat's friends had seen anything, he would pretend late morning until now had never happened. Law flicked his gaze to Luffy again, pensive. Maybe sometime in the future the two of them would fight, but not right now, and certainly not because Doflamingo had demanded it of him. Law would never stoop so low as to kill someone in their sleep anyway, as it would be very cowardly. Still, for Straw Hat to be so defenseless when not everyone trusted him, or Kidd, for that matter, to keep their hands to themselves...it was foolish and dangerous. Weren't any of the Straw Hats concerned about their captain's well-being? Law had been sure that there would have been someone around. Had he really not aroused any of their suspicion throughout the day?

The answer came to Law in the form of cold steel against the side of his throat. Law held perfectly still. The Heart Pirate had been so focused on his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that someone else had entered the room.

"You sure do disappear quickly. I almost lost track of you a few times." A dangerous tone slipped into the unseen swordsman's voice, the blade pressing against the Heart Pirate's throat warningly, "You better not have harmed my idiot captain while I was taking a nap."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Obviously Doflamingo is going to receive an ass kicking later on.

And protective Zoro is protective, while being injured is making Law not think things through beforehand.


	11. Chapter 11

Keenly aware of the blade at the side of his throat, Law was nonetheless satisfied that he had been right about someone keeping an eye on Straw Hat. However, this was one of Luffy's friends that the Heart Pirate had not wanted to turn up. A completely stupid thought drifted through Law's mind. How had the green haired swordsman gotten lost? Didn't he live on the damn ship most of the time? Law shifted a little, though he stopped when the blade angled, until it was fully across his throat. The green haired swordsman was obviously upset with him.

"I told Luffy that you were up to something, but he didn't believe me." Zoro stepped into view, keeping his katana firmly against the Heart Pirate's throat as he continued, "But I saw you earlier." Noticing that Law shifted slightly, Zoro rested the katana a little heavier, threatening to draw blood. The swordsman's expression and action made it clear, without any words, that it would be in the Heart Pirate's best interest to not draw his weapon.

Law resisted the urge to lash out, at his limit after being in a similar position not too long ago, and with someone he considered to be more of a threat. Zoro might harm him to defend his captain, but Doflamingo had merely injured him for daring to interfere when he hadn't directly caused any harm to the blond. Taking a deep breath, a bit difficult due to the blade drawn uncomfortably across his throat, Law spoke calmly, "I have no interest in harming someone I've made an alliance with." With all that Doflamingo had put him through yesterday and today, Law was not intimidated in the least by the swordsman. If Zoro had meant to cause him any injury, he would have done so already. With that in mind, Law reached up and carefully brushed aside Zoro's katana. Avoiding eye contact, Law glanced over at Luffy again, "I'd just been thinking about how to wake Straw Hat-ya without him being too noisy, so I could discuss something with him." Law took a step back as the swordsman circled around him, and placed himself between the two captains.

Zoro kept his katana drawn as he blocked Law's view of Luffy, and eyed the Heart Pirate suspiciously, "You could have asked one of us to wake him up." Zoro narrowed his eye at Law, "Were you trying to sneak into the cabins without anyone noticing?"

Law was perfectly aware that Zoro had his katana angled in his direction, meaning that the swordsman was still expecting a fight. The Heart Pirate thought that Straw Hat would be flattered that his crewmates were so protective of him. Law turned away, and in doing so, showed his back to the green haired swordsman. He was silent for a moment, acutely aware that Zoro had kept up his stance. Law spoke at length, "I'm not foolish enough to ruin an alliance once I gave my word that I wouldn't betray Straw Hat-ya." That was stretching it a little. He had merely told no to Luffy when asked if he would betray him. Law began to walk away, "Wake your captain up. I need to speak to him now. It's urgent." The Heart Pirate left the cabin, closing the door as he went.

Zoro watched Law leave, and waited for a few moments. When the Heart Pirate didn't come back, Zoro sheathed his katana with a frown. He turned and reached over, prodding Luffy in the arm, "I told you that he was up to something earlier in the day. That man is on edge."

Luffy opened his eyes and peered curiously up at Zoro. He had been faking sleep, because he hadn't believed Zoro that Law was acting more oddly than usual. He had decided to go along with what Zoro had asked, because he thought it would prove the green haired swordsman wrong. Luffy had agreed to go lie down after he had given Law his sword back, and the Heart Pirate had walked away. Luffy turned over on the bed and stared up at Zoro, "He just wants to talk, right?"

Zoro shook his head, "It didn't seem like he meant you any harm, but something is bothering him." Zoro had long since given up trying to tell Luffy about all the instances where Law had seemingly almost injured him. It was no use trying, when Luffy was firm in his belief that Law had been helping him instead.

Luffy sat up as he spoke without thinking of what reaction it would draw forth, "Tra-guy put his hand on my chest. Do you think he was gonna take out my heart?" Luffy thought about it, and then grinned, "That would be cool. I could be alive without it in my chest." Luffy looked up at Zoro again, and realized that the swordsman didn't share his sentiments by the dark, murderous look crossing his face.

Luffy quickly jumped off the bed and clung to Zoro's back to prevent the swordsman from drawing his blades and going after Law, "Zoro! Stop! I want him to tell us why he's been acting so weird!"

Zoro attempted in vain to throw Luffy off him, and failing in that, growled irritably, "Don't be so trusting! We're all pirates, and just because he said he told you that he wouldn't betray you doesn't mean he won't try to sometime in the future."

Luffy let go of Zoro and ran over to the cabin doors, looking a little upset as he called over his shoulder, "I also want to know why he tried to toss me over the side of the ship today!"

"He did what?!" Zoro demanded, but Luffy kept on going, leaving the cabin, "Hey! Luffy! Wait!" Being completely ignored, Zoro hastened to follow after his captain. Zoro had only thought there was the one time Law had tried shoving Luffy over the side of the ship. Not a second. At the very least, Zoro would make sure that Law didn't have the chance to attack Luffy if their conversation turned into a fight for one reason or another.

Zoro stopped just outside the cabin as he spotted Law moving forward to confront Luffy. Zoro's hand dropped to his weapon's hilts, prepared to intervene should things start to escalate.

Law, noticing that Luffy wasn't going to say anything to him, took it upon himself to cut to the chase, "We need to set sail, now. I can't explain things fully right now, but we must go now. Caesar is in danger of being taken from our grasp if we don't get going."

Luffy crossed his arms and looked over at his navigator, "Hey, Nami, is the storm gone?"

"Not yet, but it should be fully dissipated not too long from now." Nami looked at the setting sun, and then turned back to Luffy, "I think it would be safer to leave in the morning, just to make sure that the last traces of the storm are gone. We don't want to get swept up in the current if it hasn't settled yet."

Law knew he was fighting a losing battle, so he grew vehement in his demands, "Setting sail tonight wouldn't be any trouble. This ship is sturdy, and being knocked off course a little won't be a problem."

The rest of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy not included, were very confused with Law's actions and words. He certainly had been acting more and more off than usual, and none of them knew the reason why.

Kidd was nearby and watching the proceedings with a hint of interest, though he was inwardly displeased. With the way the Heart Pirate was acting, Kidd now knew for sure that Law was going through with what he had mentioned to him earlier in the day. Kidd leaned against the mast and crossed his arms grumpily. He hated the idea that he was going to have to be Trafalgar's errand boy. Kidd figured that he wouldn't owe Law anything after he relayed the message to the Straw Hat Pirates. He would have replayed Law for saving him from drowning. Kidd made a face. Forgetting about the act of the CPR would take a very long time to fade from his memory.

Luffy shook his head, apparently agreeing with Nami's assessment, "We'll leave in the morning." Luffy leaned back out of the way when, much to everyone's surprise, Law attacked.

Law wasn't going to take no for an answer, "You need to go now. Set sail before it's too late!" When the Heart Pirate saw that Luffy had shaken his head stubbornly, Law let out an irritated huff of breath. Fine. Time for plan B. Make Luffy want to leave him behind, and get his ship at least a little farther away from the island. Law seized his sword's hilt and whipped out the blade, as he lunged forward and swung it down at Luffy. He felt a little bad at the look of surprise cross Luffy's face, but Law was adamant. If he needed to fight to get his message across, he would. Law did not want the Straw Hat Pirates to clash with Doflamingo on this island.

Zoro swiftly shouldered past Luffy before his captain could react. Zoro had two of his katana drawn, and easily blocked a downwards slash from Law. Zoro frowned a little, mainly because he could tell that the Heart Pirate wasn't putting much effort behind the strike. The fact that he wasn't, as well as Law's near desperate expression, made Zoro believe that he'd been right. There was definitely something going on, and Law hadn't bothered to fill anyone in. It made Zoro wonder if this was why he'd been after Luffy the whole day, to get the other captain upset or angry enough to leave. That seemed contradictory. Hadn't Law wanted them to work together to bring down one of the four emperors?

Zoro exchanged looks with some of the rest of the crew, who had also seemed to pick up on the fact that something was amiss. It was almost like Law was afraid of something that they didn't know about. Zoro figured they could get Law to tell them later, because he sure as heck wanted to know why Law had almost killed or harmed his captain. But if there was something that was upsetting Law like this, it was probably something dangerous. Since Luffy seemed to be at a loss, Zoro looked over at Franky, "Raise the anchor." Zoro pressed against Law's blade and made the Heart Pirate stumble to the side of the ship where the island could be viewed from.

By now, more of the crew, as well as Momonosuke and Kinemon, seemed to realize that something was amiss. Franky drew up the anchor as asked, much to Luffy's chagrin and Law's relief.

Before Luffy could corner him and demand to know exactly what was going on, Law quickly sought out Kidd. He exchanged looks with the red head, who merely jerked his head in an irritable nod of understanding. The Heart Pirate was oddly relieved that Kidd was willing to deliver his message, even if he wasn't exactly happy about it. Law lifted his right hand, "Room." Law raised his eyes to meet Luffy's, and felt another flash of guilt for not filling the other captain in. When Law spoke, a hint of pleading slipped into his voice, "Carry out the plan as we discussed."

Without waiting for a response, Law looked away and teleported himself from the ship to the beach, dropping the room almost instantly. Law turned slightly, eyeing the Thousand Sunny. The Heart Pirate's shoulders drooped in relief as he spotted the sails being unfurled. Law could hear Luffy yelling something, and thought he could make out the swordsman and the cook holding him back. Law didn't try and make out Straw Hat's words, as he's pretty sure he knew what it would be about. Law turned away, before he could lose his resolve, and headed for the forest. He knew that he was going to be faced with a very murderous Doflamingo, who didn't take well to being crossed.

Law wondered if Kidd would really relay his message to Straw Hat or not, since the red head hadn't exactly seemed thrilled about it. Law closed his eyes briefly as he steeled himself for what was to come. He'd just have to hope things worked out. One way or another, Law felt he would possibly die that day, either through the battle that was sure to come, or by goading Doflamingo into doing it if he were caught by the other's strings. It was out of the question to be dragged back by force to Dressrosa, unable to do anything in protest.

-x

Luffy was upset as he watched Law vanish into the forest, before he shook Sanji and Zoro off his arms, "Where's Tra-guy going? Why aren't we going too? I thought we had an alliance! Aren't we supposed to work together?!" Luffy stumbled as Zoro seized him by his collar, preventing him from going over the side of the ship to island.

Kidd had moved away from the mast to watch Trafalgar disappear out of sight. Kidd stared at the forest silently, cursing Law and his foolish decision. When Luffy would not shut up about why Law was acting weird, and how they should go after him, Kidd let out a snarl of annoyance. The red headed pirate captain stomped over toward Straw Hat, drawing the attention of Zoro, who let go of Luffy. Kidd made the decision not to wait as Law had suggested, and to break the news to Straw Hat now. Besides, Kidd was bored, and tangling with Doflamingo would be a worthy challenge to pass the time. Kidd snapped irritably at the other pirate captain, "He's buying time for you fools to get away."

That silenced everyone as they turned to look at him. Kidd crossed his arms, knowing that he had all their attention, and he wouldn't have to repeat himself, "Trafalgar said that Doflamingo was on the island, and that's why he'd been injured. Apparently, Doflamingo told Law to kill Straw Hat and hand Caesar over or he'd destroy Law's ship and crew, and anything else he cared about." Kidd thought for a moment as he amused himself by looking at the range of emotions on his audience's faces, "That's why he wanted you to set sail. He ain't gonna do what that bastard told him to do, and he's going to confront him to give you guys time to get away. All so you can carry out whatever plan he seems to think you guys have made."

A blank look had fallen over Luffy's face as he turned to face his crewmates. Nami ventured to speak up after a moment.

"I suppose I see his point in wanting us to get away, but he should have said something to us instead of deciding on his own." Nami looked at the island warily, "I don't think we should waste his efforts, though, even if it doesn't seem right." Nami turned to Luffy, and as soon as she saw his expression, she knew that words would be useless. In fact, Nami was certain that everyone else that could see Luffy's face would know that their captain had already made his mind up. Nothing they could say would change his mind.

Kidd grinned, sensing what was going on, "Are you going to go take that flashy bastard down? It'd be a shame if I couldn't finish my fight with Trafalgar if Doflamingo beats him up too much." Kidd was silent a moment, before he added, "Or kills him." The last bit had been a bit unnecessary, but Kidd sure liked the serious look that had appeared on Straw Hat's face because of it.

Resigned to what was about to happen, Nami tried to be the voice of reason, "We can't all go back to the island…" She broke off as she noticed Zoro and Sanji had gone to stand next to their captain.

"We'll take the Mini Merry." Luffy said as he looked at the island intently, "You guys can manage until we get back." Luffy missed the sight of a few of his crewmates being bashful at his words.

Robin smiled, and spoke up softly before Luffy could run off, "I found some sea prism stone on the island yesterday. It could be useful." Robin indicated the two solid stone rocks on the deck that had gone unnoticed, "Usopp helped me bring them aboard earlier in the day. I thought I might be able to discern the words on it if I studied them some more, but my initial assessment stands. There really is no way of making out what it could have said, especially that one." Robin indicated the stone on the left, "Why not make use of it, especially if you are going to run into Doflamingo?"

Luffy picked his nose absently, "Why would we need that when we're just going to beat 'mingo up?"

Nami locked eyes with Luffy, "Remember what Doflamingo's powers are like? He can use string, and with it, he could potentially make you guys fight amongst each other while he sits back and watches."

Luffy puzzled over this as Sanji spoke up, taking a break from fawning over Nami, "The stone _could_ be useful then."

Kidd grumbled something under his breath, obviously thinking along the same lines as Luffy of pummeling Doflamingo. However, he did see the sense in the idea, even if he thought it would be boring, "What are we supposed to do with solid sea prism stone?"

Usopp brought out two nets, and Nami smiled, "We don't have time to make a net made fully of sea prism stone, so we'll just tie shards of the stone into the net by hand. It'll be better than nothing. Zoro?"

Zoro stepped forward and drew one of his katana, and slashed at the left hand stone, breaking it into smaller pieces. "Like that?"

Nami nodded as she brandished one of the nets at Zoro, "Here. You and Sanji help me and Usopp. Everyone else has Devil Fruit powers."

A half hour later…

Sanji settled the nets inlaid with shards of the sea prism stone in a bundle in one corner of the Mini Merry. That done, the cook scowled jealously as Nami handed Zoro a pair of sea stone handcuffs.

Seeing the green haired swordsman give her a look, Nami answered his unasked question, "That's just in case you guys decide to actually try and capture Doflamingo. Cuffing him will stop his Devil Fruit powers better than the nets. If you get the chance, I guess." Nami shook her head, "The nets could potentially lose the shards of sea stone prism we weaved in."

Zoro took the cuffs and nodded, "Right." He settled down on the boat as it set off, Luffy yelling at Sanji and Kidd to hurry up with the paddling.

Nami watched as the Mini Merry headed for the island, before she tilted her head to stare up at the skies. The storm was all but gone by now. Whether they would set sail that night or the following morning would depend entirely on how the confrontation with Doflamingo went.

-x

Law halted just at the edge of the forest, and glanced over his shoulder, at the sea he couldn't see anymore. The Heart Pirate hoped that Straw Hat and his crew would be far away by the time Doflamingo figured out what he had done. Law took a steadying breath as he held out his right hand, "Room." The clear dome stretched forth, covering the clearing and cave that Law knew was just past the trees before him in his sphere of influence. There was no going back on the decision he had made. Law drew his blade and dropped the sheathe, figuring that there would be no need to retrieve it if he died. And in the unlikely event that he didn't, Doflamingo was likely to get it for him, if the other decided he wanted to take him back to Dressrosa after all. Law stepped foot into the clearing, and stiffened when he spotted Doflamingo lounging on top of the cavern entrance, completely at ease.

Doflamingo cast a disinterested look around the room that he was enclosed in, before settling his gaze on Law. A terrible smile spilled across Doflamingo's lips, when he saw that Law was alone with his weapon drawn, "You're more foolish than I originally thought you were." Doflamingo sat upright, propping his head up on one hand as the smile turned lazy, "You know you don't stand a chance. Once I've dealt with you, I'll go after the Straw Hats and retrieve Caesar." Doflamingo tilted his head, the tinted glasses hiding his thoughts as he studied Law. When he spoke, there was almost an underlying note of pity, "It's such a waste for you to sacrifice yourself like this, when you know there's no chance of success." Still smiling, though more belittling this time, Doflamingo leapt to one side as Law bisected the cavern entrance with a swing of his sword.

Doflamingo landed a short distance away, and lifted his hand as he flexed his fingers, "You still have such spirit, even though you know it's hopeless." Doflamingo bent forward to avoid another slash, and caught Law's blade as it went by with a hand. Doflamingo held the blade steady, managing to avoid being cut. The blond lifted his head to consider the Heart Pirate, "I thought it over after we…parted ways this afternoon. I've decided that I am going to take you back to Dressrosa with me." Doflamingo smirked as Law's eyes widened, "Fufufufu. Did you think that I was going to kill you?" The smile widened, "But it would be a shame to lose such a skilled doctor over something like this."

Doflamingo chuckled lowly as he let go of the blade, and watched as Law stumbled back a few feet, "I'll defeat you here and now, and once we're back in Dressrosa, I can take my time disciplining you until you stop fighting back. I'm a very patient man when I want to be, and there's only so much one can take before their will breaks. And when that happens…" Doflamingo inched closer to Law, who in turn moved further away. The blond laughed again as he slashed his hands through the air at Law, "I'll have my heart seat subordinate then, won't I?"

Law blocked with his blade, but still ended up being cut, clenching his teeth to prevent himself from crying out in pain. Law made his way to the other side of the clearing, trying to keep up with Doflamingo, and struck again, hoping it would connect this time before the blond got serious in his attacks. Law had worked so hard to get away from Doflamingo's influence. If he were captured and brought back with the older man, everything he'd done between leaving before and all that had happened up until now would have been for nothing. The Heart Pirate dodged another attack. He couldn't go back. Law refused to go back under any condition.

Law lifted his gaze to glare at the smiling man before him. It seemed like he would have to make Doflamingo furious enough to goad him into killing him after all. Law couldn't stand the thought of being defeated and then dragged back with Doflamingo to Dressrosa. Law didn't want to ever work for Doflamingo again. Law didn't think he could handle it. The Heart Pirate had other people that depended on him now, and he was worried what would happen if he lost them.

Law ducked, narrowly avoiding another Bullet String, unable to suppress a shudder as he thought about what could happen. If he lost everything that anchored him and kept him away from Doflamingo, Law felt that he would be so dead inside with nothing to hold onto, that he wouldn't care anymore about what went on around him. Maybe it wouldn't bother Law to allow Doflamingo to direct him around like a puppet. Law tensed up, his hands wrapping around the hilt of his blade firmly, regardless of the fact that he might tear his stiches open again. The thought of mindlessly allowing Doflamingo to order him around without any fight left in him terrified Law more than anything, and spurred him into action. If it was a fight Doflamingo wanted, he would give him one. Law refused to let the other man have his way.

Law destroyed the land in front of him with sharp strikes from his sword, sending bits of debris Doflamingo's way, before the Heart Pirate realized just how stupid it was of him to do this. He knew he was no match for the other man. Law shook away any doubts. He wasn't going to go down without putting up a fight and causing as much trouble for the blond as he could. Law spotted Doflamingo flick a finger his way. The Heart Pirate quickly teleported himself to the other side of the sphere once more, only to have Doflamingo bear down on him. Instead of just being grasped by the strings the other was manipulating, Law was struck with them again, drawing forth cuts and gashes, and tearing up the Heart Pirate's clothes as the hits landed with punishing force. Too strong. Law rolled out of the way and picked himself back up as he barely managed to dodge another strike. The Heart Pirate couldn't even get a word in, which meant that Doflamingo had potentially guessed his train of thought, and was preventing him from making too much of a nuisance of himself.

Law blocked another of Doflamingo's attacks with his blade before he was mercilessly slashed again with the string. Before Law knew it, he was thrown roughly against the rocky outer wall of the cavern by a nasty kick. Law lay still, gasping for breath, aware that his body was now held in place by Doflamingo's invisible strings. Law rested his head against the rocky outer cavern wall, panting. He'd lasted longer than he thought he would, even though Law hadn't expected to survive the encounter.

"Bullet String."

This time the attack connected, unlike in the Thousand Sunny's weapon supplies room. Law bit back a muffled cry of agony as the string went through his left shoulder, before he went back to gasping for air, feeling humiliated once more. Doflamingo wasn't going to kill him. Not when he'd made the decision already. Law wheezed as the string restricted his limbs further, except for the hand that was holding his blade. Noting Doflamingo's smile, Law struggled against the string manipulating his hand as he felt it forced to bring the blade to his throat, drawing out a thin line of blood. Law squeezed his eyes shut, not able to stand the superior smirk that had appeared on the blond's face. Maybe Doflamingo had changed his mind in the brief scuffle about killing him. Law hoped so. While he couldn't stand being put out of commission like this, at least it meant that he wouldn't have to worry about being forced to do something unwillingly.

Doflamingo bent his fingers a little, making Law pull the blade away from his throat, "It really is too bad that you didn't do as I asked. I might have considered forgiving you for interfering." Doflamingo lifted his hand, and bending one finger, made Law bring the blade to his lower abdomen, "I _am_ bringing you back with me to Dressrosa. We'll go from there, as I like the idea of shattering that will of yours." Doflamingo carelessly flicked a finger, which squeezed the string around the Heart Pirate's right hand. Doflamingo sneered as Law, with a strangled yelp of pain, was forced to drop the blade before it sliced too deeply.

Doflamingo turned his head at a sudden commotion going on in the forest, and he smiled unpleasantly, "It sounds like whatever plan you made with the Straw Hats isn't going according to plan. It'll make things easier for me if I take care of a few of Straw Hat's crew members. Other people may have underestimated them, but I'm not going to be one of those people." Doflamingo's grin stretched wider, "And you're going to help me."

Doflamingo released Law from the string, and the Heart Pirate dropped down, staggering as he collapsed to the ground, barely managing to keep his left hand from being crushed. Doflamingo leaned over and picked Law up, carrying him over to the destroyed cavern entrance. Doflamingo knew that Law was still conscious so he spoke aloud teasingly, "It's nice that I'll be able to have you do something useful for me. You can be bait for the Straw Hat crew to begin with."

Law winced faintly as Doflamingo used the invisible string to lash his wrists behind his back, and around his middle. Law said nothing as Doflamingo had him hang by another string in the middle of the entry way to the cave, a few feet off the ground. Law hung his head, sincerely hoping that the entire ruckus going on in the forest was due to some of the wild animals, and not Straw Hat and some of his crew coming to his rescue. They needed to stick to the plan for once.

Doflamingo laughed at the sight, "Fufufufu. I hope you'll eventually see the errors of your way, Law, and not be so difficult once we get back to Dressrosa."

Law bristled at the condescending way Doflamingo was speaking to him, and lifted his head to glare at the blond. Even though he hurt from the superficial wounds that Doflamingo had dealt him, he wasn't quite done fighting back. Law's left arm felt on fire, and his left hand felt as if it the stitches had ripped out of it again. Despite the pain, Law still managed to be defiant. He refused to give the older man the satisfaction of defeating him so easily, "I'll never take the heart seat, and you know it. After what you've done, I'd never work for you again." Law broke off with a cough, thinking that he had perhaps been a bit more wounded than he initially thought he'd been, "You will fall from power, and there will be nothing you can do to stop the backlash that will come from Kaido." Law swiftly lowered his head to block the invisible string from striking his face when he realized that Doflamingo was lashing out. Law took the stinging strikes stoically, until one particularly nasty Bullet String left him limp, and unable to muster up the strength to say anything more.

Law could only hope that whoever had come after him had seen the room he had created, and the fact that he had had to drop it. He had no energy left to maintain it. Law's head lolled to the side as he lost consciousness, amid a sly chuckle from Doflamingo.

-x

Doflamingo tsked at Law falling unconscious, though he supposed it worked in his favor if the Heart Pirate couldn't warn anyone about where he was. Doflamingo tested the string, making sure that it was secure. He didn't want Law slinking away on the off chance that he regained consciousness before he returned. With that thought in mind, Doflamingo left a trail of string around the clearing as he went to investigate the source of the earlier noise. If anyone came to help Law, or he woke up, Doflamingo would know, and he'd be able to back track with ease.

A frown crossed his face as he travelled through the forest. It was irritating that a bunch of brats thought that they could bring things crashing down around him. Doflamingo paused in the canopy of a few trees, glancing around silently. The tinted glasses glinted as Doflamingo spotted Straw Hat and the other pirate captain, Kidd, arguing with one another as they crashed through the forest. Doflamingo grinned widely as he prepared to drop in on them. They were making such a racket, and neither was paying any attention to their surroundings. Doflamingo flexed his fingers as his smile stretched further in anticipation of a clash with the other two pirate captains. Whether it would last very long was up to how the other two dealt with his Devil Fruit powers.

Doflamingo gave a light shake of his head as he dropped down, hand poised as his grin became malicious. Law was a fool to think that Straw Hat would have any chance against him. It was wishful thinking.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

More fights will begin again in the next 1-2 chapters, with a little tag teaming as Doflamingo starts to get ganged up on. Definitely going to be giving him a well-deserved ass-kicking, as well as some humiliation. He can join Law in the torment game, though I'm not quite done with Law yet. He will get his own payback against Doflamingo though, in a later chapter. I really do want to see Doflamingo get punched or whatever sometime soon in the manga.


	12. Chapter 12

Kidd would have never thought it possible that he would be grateful to be jumping into nearly three feet of sea water. It was amazing what a lot of bickering and overcrowding on a small boat could get a man to do. Kidd clenched a fist and partially waded through the water to the beach shoreline, before he turned back toward the sea. Straw Hat and his two crewmembers were close to bringing the Mini Merry to the beach, and Kidd sneered at the sight. He hadn't been overreacting; he'd just done the Straw Hat Pirates a favor by not killing them for all of the noise and jostling in the small boat that they'd been doing.

"Hey, metal guy! Why'd you jump?"

Kidd slid a glare Straw Hat's way, thinking that Luffy was standing a little too close to him after he had leapt off the Mini Merry. The red head didn't get a chance to say anything, as Sanji and Zoro had already beached the Mini Merry. Kidd crossed his arms moodily as the cook and the swordsman walked over to them, carrying the nets with sea prism stone hastily woven into it. Kidd presumed that Zoro had the handcuffs as well. No one spoke, which irritated Kidd, especially since they'd made enough racket to force him over the side of the small boat, "As much as I wanna rush in, I guess that ain't gonna work with Doflamingo." The red headed captain noted that Straw Hat was now eying the forest intently, as if trying to figure out exactly where Doflamingo and Law were.

Luffy wasn't listening, having been distracted, but Sanji nodded in agreement with Kidd's words, "It wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. I think we should assume that he would be ready for the possibility of us to show up." Sanji eyed the island, wondering if that was the case. The Straw Hat Pirate cook ignored Zoro, who had just passed by him quickly and clamped a hand down on Luffy's shoulder. To keep their captain from racing off before they discussed what exactly they were going to do.

"Zoro! Let go! I'm gonna go beat 'mingo up!"

"Idiot! Don't go running off just yet!"

Sanji shook his head at the sight, "If Law is still fighting with Doflamingo, we'll need to find a way to separate them."

"I doubt he lasted very long. It's more likely that Trafalgar got his ass kicked right away." Kidd commented snidely.

Zoro kept his grip, despite his captain's protests, "If that happened, someone would need to draw Doflamingo away from Law, right?"

"Get him out of sight without Doflamingo noticing?" Seeing Zoro's nod, Sanji ran a hand through his hair, "That'll be difficult."

Luffy had finally tuned into the conversation, successfully freeing himself from Zoro's grasp. He grinned at the swordsman, "You and Sanji can get Tra-guy."

"And what are we supposed to do if Doflamingo attacks us all at once?" Zoro didn't like the way this was going. It already didn't bode well that Luffy was solely in the mind of giving Doflamingo a good trouncing when he ran across him.

Luffy smiled cheerfully, "I can just beat 'mingo up."

Zoro frowned, "That could work, if he just pays attention to you." He didn't want to bother attempting to talk Luffy out of a fight, especially if he had his mind set on tackling Doflamingo.

Kidd had been silent up until this point, and, not pleased that he was being ignored, turned to Luffy with a smirk, "I suppose I can go start a fight with Doflamingo too."

Luffy smiled, "Not if I get to him first."

"Let's get going already." Sanji said, raising his voice slightly over Kidd's, not wanting the two captains to get into an argument about who got to fight with Doflamingo. His efforts were in vain, as the trek through the forest was filled with short bursts of bickering. Ten minutes later, and Sanji had had quite enough of the childish chatter. He whirled on the two captains, "Would the two of you shut up! You're going to draw attention to us!"

"Hey, look at that." Zoro unintentionally saved Sanji from being set upon by Kidd, as the group had just entered into a clearing.

Kidd gave the pool of water in the clearing a disinterested once over, "So what?"

"I wonder if it is sea water." Sanji mused aloud, crouching next to the edge of the pool.

Kidd grinned, seeing an easy opportunity to deal with Sanji scolding him moments before. The red head stole up behind Sanji, and gave him a hefty shove in the back, "Why don't you find out?"

Sanji twisted slightly from the momentum, his hand darting out and grabbing Kidd's nearest arm. When he was no longer in danger of falling, Sanji hopped up lightly. He smiled at Kidd's surprised expression, and, with a light kick off of Kidd's shoulder, Sanji went over his shoulder. Twisting in midair, Sanji lashed out with a foot, kicking the red head squarely in the back, "Why don't you go check things out?"

Kidd cursed as he pitched forward, unable to prevent himself from falling into the pool of water. His body went limp, and the red head cursed inwardly. What the hell was sea water doing in the middle of the island? Or wherever they were on the island. Kidd floundered around for a moment, before his feet reached the bottom of the pool. At least it wasn't deep, but it didn't matter if he couldn't fucking swim. The most he could do was hold his breath. Kidd twitched as someone seized him by his right forearm, and soon after his head broke the surface of the water.

Zoro effortlessly pulled the spluttering Kidd halfway out of the pool, before he let go. Zoro backed off as the red headed captain dragged himself out the rest of the way out.

Kidd lay prone, breathing heavily, until he got it under control. Kidd sat up and glared at Sanji, who appeared unconcerned as he turned to Luffy and Zoro, "Looks like it is sea water."

Sanji, unaware of the fact that Kidd was glowering at him, took the net Zoro had been holding beneath one arm, "I think we could use it to our advantage." Sanji stored the nets behind a nearby tree, and, seeing the looks thrown his way, sighed, "Since Doflamingo is a Devil Fruit user, don't you think we should try and lure him here? I doubt that we could actually knock him into the water, but it should hamper a fight if he has to actively avoid it."

"Only he could knock me or Straw Hat into it." Kidd didn't like the idea. The pool looked to be barely over ten feet wide. It was highly unlikely that the pool would be a threat to Doflamingo unless someone forcibly shoved him head first into the water and held him there.

"You'll just have to avoid letting that happen." Sanji commented, and this time he did see the glower that was aimed his way.

"It'd be interesting if it would actually work." Zoro added. He thought the pool of water was a bit on the small size as well, but it was big enough that Doflamingo could potentially be knocked into it.

"Let's plan on drawing Doflamingo over here then." Sanji nearly groaned when he realized that Luffy had dashed off, his attention span gone, "Luffy, wait!"

-x

The huge beasts on the island seemed intent on getting something to eat, so there hadn't been any thought given to what they should do if they were split up. It didn't even matter that Zoro and Sanji had killed two animals; another, larger creature went after them, leaving Kidd in its wake.

And with that, the four of them were split up, and Kidd was left with Luffy, who was currently laughing merrily at the sight of his two friends being pursued.

Luffy waved his hands in the air after them, grinning as he called after them, "Zoro! Sanji! I'm gonna go find 'mingo and beat him up!"

Sanji dodged a swipe from the creature as he yelled over his shoulder, "While you're doing that, make sure you lead him back to the place with the pool! You can find that again, right?"

Zoro blocked the claws of another beast that came crashing toward him, "Follow the plan for once, Luffy! We'll only get one chance! Don't mess it up!"

"Right!" Luffy pivoted as another creature popped up, and he ran. He was still laughing when Kidd caught up with him and ran alongside him.

A few minutes later and Kidd was almost wishing that he had ended up with one of Straw Hats' crewmates, because Luffy wouldn't stop shouting. And there was nothing he could do about it, because his attempts to intimidate Straw Hat had failed.

"'mingo! Where are you?!" Luffy yelled, dashing through the forest pell-mell. He didn't seem to be going in any particular direction.

"Shut up! He's gonna hear us before we can even get near him! Are you stupid?!" Kidd snarled, as he miraculously kept up with the hectic pace that Straw Hat had set. The red headed captain couldn't believe that Luffy was drawing any and all attention to their position. If Doflamingo was within hearing range, he would be foolish not to take advantage of all of the noise.

Luffy had quieted for only a moment, before he started calling again, "Oy! 'mingo! Where are you? I'm gonna beat you!"

If it hadn't been below him to do so, Kidd would have covered his face with a hand. He wondered how Straw Hat could survive for so long if he couldn't be even a little stealthy. Kidd glanced around, and decided that he didn't like that the two of them hadn't seen any animals since they'd split with Straw Hat's crew. Kidd skidded to a halt as something whistled through the air, and tore into the ground in front of him. Kidd leapt back to avoid another strike. The red head flicked his gaze up, and saw Doflamingo diving down from the high treetops, a wide, nasty smile stretching across his face.

Any normal person would have run, but Kidd merely offered a smile of his own. Kidd flexed his right hand, searching for metal on the island again, and perhaps the weapons of the low-life idiot pirates that he'd try to do in the day before.

Luffy had come to a halt as well and had immediately swung a fist at Doflamingo, only to have the blond twist and dodge the attack. Luffy was thrown backwards by a slashing motion from Doflamingo, drawing forth several light cuts.

Doflamingo dodged some metal thrown at him by Kidd. Since the blond pirate was more interested in dealing with Luffy, he flexed a hand in Kidd's direction, and knew from a curse that Kidd wasn't going anywhere. Doflamingo turned his focus to Luffy, who came back swinging after righting himself.

"Jet Pistol!" Luffy swung his fist hard, and this time managed to nick Doflamingo's shoulder. Luffy landed and skidded a short distance, undeterred as he prepared to strike again.

Kidd, meanwhile, was enraged that Doflamingo was holding him in place with his Devil Fruit powers. Son of a bitch wasn't even going to let him fight. Kidd felt insulted, and struggled against the invisible restraints, not caring that the string merely dug into his skin more with each move. The red head was distracted when he heard Luffy let out a gasp. Kidd lifted his head, and realized that the string holding him in place had slackened. While free again, the only problem was that the red head ended up stumbling backward against a tree because of the force with which Luffy had been thrown at him. Kidd grumbled a curse and tossed Luffy next to him, out of his way. Straw Hat landed lightly on his feet, breathing a little hard, but none the worse for the wear.

Neither of the other captains expected Doflamingo to suddenly halt, his hand still poised to strike at them. Doflamingo turned his head to the left, and his smile stretched wide as he laughed, "Fufufufu. Either Law woke up sooner than I had anticipated, or someone's trying to help him." Doflamingo started to walk away at a casual pace, "I'll have to postpone dealing with you two. There's a more pressing matter to attend to." Doflamingo half-turned and slashed one of his hands through the air, striking Kidd and Luffy. It wasn't as lethal of an attack as he could normally land, but it had served its purpose. It had distracted Straw Hat and Kidd.

Once he saw that Doflamingo had left, Kidd rested his back against the tree. He blinked blood out of his eye from a cut on his forehead. Kidd made a disgruntled sound as he looked himself over. He'd been dealt quite a lot of wounds in a short time, but it was all superficial, and likely wouldn't even leave a scar.

"'mingo!"

Kidd pushed away from the tree, and followed after Luffy, who, while also covered in numerous nicks and cuts, had gotten back up. And the crazy bastard was currently racing at breakneck speed through the forest, shouting at the top of his lungs. Kidd was bemused by the other captain's antics as he followed after Luffy. Even if Kidd disliked the very idea that he found anything that Straw Hat did amusing, he didn't mind seeing Luffy act crazy. It was entertaining as hell that Straw Hat's actions were so erratic.

-x

Sanji and Zoro had killed the beasts that had been chasing them, and since they hadn't seen any creatures after that, figured the others would leave them alone. Their run had been more or less quiet after that, until Sanji spoke up about the animal that was lying still on the ground some distance back.

"That last one was bigger, wasn't it?"

Zoro blinked as he turned his head to look at Sanji with his good eye, "It was, but the one before that I took down yesterday was the largest animal we've seen on this island."

"Dammit! You just don't want to admit defeat, mosshead, you…!" Sanji stopped short as he and Zoro came out of the forest, and into another clearing, this one around the middle of the island.

Zoro came to a halt next to Sanji, realizing what had caught the cook's attention. A short distance from where they were standing, the two could see Law. The Heart Pirate appeared to be suspended in midair in front of a falling apart cavern entrance, injured and unconscious, "Doflamingo?" Zoro questioned, indicating the fact that Law was swaying through the air a little, even though no restraints were in sight.

"Looks like it. I somehow doubt he did that to himself." Sanji bit down on a cigarette he had drawn out of his pocket, and lit it as he turned to survey the area. When he didn't see anything, Sanji walked forward, standing just below where Law was hanging, "It's probably those invisible strings." The blond grinned at Zoro, "Think you can cut something you can't see?"

Zoro snorted softly, as if the question didn't even need to be asked. The green haired swordsman drew one katana, and, pushing off against the ground with a foot, sliced effortlessly through the invisible string holding Law aloft. Zoro landed and sheathed his blade, as Sanji caught the Heart Pirate. The green haired swordsman knelt down next to Sanji as the cook set Law down on the ground. The two noted that Law's wrists were behind his back, and figured that there must be more strings that they couldn't see. Between them, Zoro and Sanji loosened the invisible string, tossing it aside as they pulled it loose.

"This is weird." Sanji commented, holding a string between forefinger and thumb, yet being unable to see it.

Zoro tossed another bit of the string aside, "Doflamingo has a strange Devil Fruit ability."

Sanji rolled Law over onto his back, "Maybe, but it's dangerous if you can't see an attack coming. No wonder people have said that he is one of the most dangerous warlords."

"A former one now." Zoro fell silent, as he noticed that Law was waking up.

Law let out a low groan, opening his eyes a little. As soon as he recognized who was looking down at him, the Heart Pirate promptly closed them and let out a sigh, "I should have known Straw Hat-ya wouldn't follow the plan."

Sanji stood up and puffed away at his cigarette, "I'm pretty sure that a few of us have warned you that Luffy doesn't always follow the plan."

Zoro stood similarly as he crossed his arms, eying the trees surrounding the clearing, "The captain does what he wants."

Sanji joined the swordsman in gazing around, keeping an eye out for trouble, "Where's Doflamingo?"

Law rolled onto his side, his mind clearing the more he woke up. As soon as it registered that neither Zoro nor Sanji were running, and looked as if they were expecting a fight, Law protested, "You shouldn't have come! Joker-ya could come back at any moment!" Just like Luffy, however, neither of Straw Hat's friends' seemed inclined to listen to him, and Law was left lying on the ground and very frustrated. He'd tried to give them a head start, had expected not to survive his encounter with Doflamingo, and the Straw Hat Pirates were ruining what he'd tried to give them.

Sanji tensed, not conscious of Law's inner turmoil and exasperation, "Hey, Zoro."

The swordsman narrowed his eye, "Yeah." With a swift movement, Zoro stooped and seized Law around the middle.

"Bullet String."

With little effort, Zoro lifted the Heart Pirate up as he dodged to the right, Sanji going left. Both men narrowly avoided the attack.

Doflamingo landed on the ground a short distance away, not looking the least bit pleased with the scene he had just come across. He didn't seem to be too disappointed that the Straw Hat Pirates had dodged his attack. What did bother him was that it seemed like they were trying to spirit Law way, and Doflamingo wasn't going to allow that to happen. He wasn't going to let the Heart Pirate get away to continue his plan, which seemed to be mainly a ploy to take him down, with Kaido as an afterthought.

Zoro touched down next to the cave, and set the Heart Pirate down. Zoro turned and drew his katana as he struck a fighting stance.

Doflamingo observed the two Straw Hat Pirates, a grin rising as he noted that the two of them were ready for a fight, "It's too bad that Straw Hat Luffy wasn't much of a challenge."

Zoro and Sanji ignored the intended slight. The two of them knew that Luffy would show up, one way or another, despite Doflamingo's snide comment. Luffy was too single mindedly determined to be killed by someone like Doflamingo, so neither Zoro nor Sanji were overly concerned. Instead, they focused on the fact that they were going to have to tangle with Doflamingo until Luffy showed up.

Since Doflamingo didn't seem inclined to start the battle, Sanji and Zoro darted forward from either side, launching attacks of their own.

"Three sword style: Purgatory Oni Giri!"

"Diable Jambe! Collier Strike!"

One of Doflamingo's legs moved to block Sanji's kick, before he swiftly leaned to the side to avoid Zoro's blades. Doflamingo grinned as he struck Sanji across the chest with string through a quick hand movement, sending him flying backward. Doflamingo twisted, and lashed out with a leg, kicking Zoro in the abdomen when the swordsman tried for another attack. Doflamingo backed out of range of another kick from Sanji, and sent both Straw Hat Pirates careening backward with another wave of his hand. Since the swordsman and the cook obviously thought their captain was going to show up again, Doflamingo decided that he didn't feel like overexerting himself with the two before him. He'd try another tactic.

Law was fully awake by now, and not liking what he was seeing. While Zoro and Sanji were strong, they were going to have trouble landing their attacks with Doflamingo making use of his Devil Fruit ability. While Law was musing at the possible outcome of a fight between the Straw Hat Pirates and Doflamingo, he became aware of the fact that he probably should have been feigning unconsciousness. The Heart Pirate tilted his head slightly, and stilled in trepidation when he saw Doflamingo turn his head to look at him. Law did not like the smile the other man was wearing. It didn't bode well for him.

Doflamingo's smile stretched even further when he saw that Law was looking back at him, and he raised a hand, "I said I'd have you help me, didn't I?" He'd found a way to distract the Straw Hats Pirates, at least until Luffy showed up again.

Law felt the telltale sensation of invisible string settling around his limbs, and the Heart Pirate knew that he had guessed right. It didn't stop him from protesting weakly by trying to go limp. Law grit his teeth as the string's grip strengthened in response to his actions. The Heart Pirate still felt himself forced to his feet, a little shakily due to his weary body fighting against the sudden movement. The Heart Pirate walked unsteadily over to where his sword lay on the ground, and reached down. Law briefly resisted, using what little energy he could muster up to try and prevent the inevitable.

Law's hand wrapped around the hilt, and that was it. He couldn't do a damn thing about this now, and Law could only wince as Doflamingo had him run a short distance. Law felt himself swing his blade with two hands, where it managed to halt Zoro's blades, therefore preventing the green haired swordsman from striking Doflamingo. As Law felt the manipulating strings force him into a tussle with Zoro, the Heart Pirate finally gave up. He couldn't fight Doflamingo's Devil Fruit powers anymore. It would only cause him more pain and injury, as the amount of force with which the strings grasped Law changed depending on how much he fought the manipulations.

Zoro blocked a sideways slash from Law, and back stepped away, next to Sanji. Something was up, especially when Law hadn't given any indication of wanting to move at all earlier.

"Why the hell is he attacking us?" Sanji ducked out of the way as Zoro caught another wild swing from the Heart Pirate.

Zoro focused on parrying the erratic and slightly jerky sword swings from Law, before he took a quick peek over the Heart Pirate's shoulder. The green haired swordsman spotted Doflamingo leaning up against a tree, his hands raised and making minute movements. While he was launching attacks at Sanji, his other hand was angling in Law's direction. Zoro's eye narrowed, realizing what was going on. Zoro deflected Law's blade one more time as he moved closer to Sanji, "Doflamingo's using his Devil Fruit ability on Law. He's forcing him to fight."

Sanji paused briefly, as he had been avoiding lazy attacks from Doflamingo, "What the hell. He can do that?"

"Bullet String."

Sanji hissed in pain and stumbled to one side as Doflamingo's attack caught the side of his right leg, tearing into the skin. Sanji grit his teeth as he leaned back when Law swung the sword his way.

Zoro intervened, and spent the next fifteen seconds parrying the Heart Pirate's blade in a blur of motion, the blows landing with swift if sloppy force. The green haired swordsman could tell that Law wasn't in the best of shape, and couldn't keep up this strenuous of a fight for much longer.

Law wheezed from the effort of being compelled to attack, barely able to remain conscious as he could tell that his exhausted body wanted nothing more than to collapse. The will to fight was fully gone by now, and Law was too weary to be angry with Doflamingo. Law didn't even seem to notice that the string had loosened around his limbs a little. The Heart Pirate wouldn't have even bothered trying to free himself anyway, as he would have known that Doflamingo was toying with him.

Sanji and Zoro evaded the sword a few more times, before they were able to catch sight of Law's expression. The two were surprised to see that Law practically pleading with them by now in the short time that they had been fighting. It was a defeated look, as if Law was too spent to care what happened anymore, so long as someone ended the humiliation that was being inflicted on him. Zoro and Sanji were equally disgusted with Doflamingo by this point. Law was obviously not a threat, having been beaten down earlier. The Heat Pirate was too weary to do much on his own, so making him fight them was merely to torment Law, as if to make a point to him. Neither Straw Hat Pirate knew what had gone on between Doflamingo and Law, but they knew that had Luffy been there, he would have been upset.

Zoro exchanged glances with Sanji, and he indicated Doflamingo with a jerk of his head.

Sanji nodded in understanding, and he went immediately for Doflamingo, launching an attack as he sprang into the air and went careening toward the other blond, "Flanche Strike!"

Zoro parried Law's blade a few more times, before he angled a blade backward, holding the hilt at the ready. As he passed by the Heart Pirate, Zoro cracked him over the back of the head with the hilt, knocking Law out as he landed. Zoro heard Law collapse to the ground, before he flipped the katana back around, and raced over to join Sanji.

Doflamingo dropped the strings manipulating Law, and left the unconscious Heart Pirate on the ground where he had fallen. Doflamingo halted Sanji's attack with his leg again, and flicked a hand at Zoro, catching his blades with the string and diverting the attack to swing harmlessly through the air. Doflamingo was smiling, but he wasn't happy. He was going to have to deal with Straw Hat's crew after all.

Sanji and Zoro avoided a few attacks from Doflamingo, but they were unable to get out of the way of Doflamingo's five color string attack, which slashed them with punishing force, and knocked them back to the tree line.

"Let's go around to the other side of the cave." Sanji panted, leaping out of range of the invisible string that Doflamingo had sent his way.

"Right. Let's just hope Luffy doesn't get lost." Zoro muttered back, not noticing Sanji laugh a little at the lost bit.

Doflamingo gave chase, not bothering to take Law along, because he figured that Law would be out for a good long while now after the brief, under a minute fight. Doflamingo didn't realize that drawing him away from the Heart Pirate had been the plan all along.

Sanji narrowly avoided another Bullet String, and hoped that he and Zoro would be able to avoid allowing Doflamingo to manipulate them into fighting one another. Sanji really wasn't entirely sure how long the two of them could keep up the fight if none of their attacks were landing.

-x

Law knew he must have been knocked out, because when he came to again, the back of his head was throbbing painfully. Even though he ached, the Heart Pirate let out a low sigh of relief. At least the green haired swordsman had taken him down to prevent Doflamingo from manipulating him for too long a time. Law hurt from the effort of being forced to fight beyond his body's limit, and knew that he'd need a good rest to recover. Law frowned inwardly, thinking that he heard a voice. It sounded like someone was calling to him.

Law cracked his eyes open, and glanced up dazedly. If he had had the energy to be exasperated, he would have said something. Kidd and Luffy were staring down at him, the former looking disinterested, while the latter looked a bit concerned. A least until the Heart Pirate had opened his eyes. Luffy was smiling then.

"You look like shit." Kidd stated as way of greeting as he grinned mockingly at the Heart Pirate, "It's pathetic that you let that flashy bastard get the better of you."

Law had enough left in him to be offended, and he let the other pirate captain know what he thought about his comment, "It looks like…he got the better of you too."

Kidd didn't even bother to respond to that as he stormed off over to the tree line. He bristled at the faint sardonic tone Law's voice had held. However, Kidd was not in the mood to pick a fight with Trafalgar when he was as down as he was. It wouldn't be a challenge at all, and Kidd would gain no satisfaction from beating Law as he was.

Law was silent as Luffy crouched down next to him, and could tell that the other captain was still upset about what had occurred on the Thousand Sunny. It was also probably due to his abrupt departure from the ship. Law sighed, unable to look the other in the eye, "I would have mentioned my change in plans earlier, but I didn't want something like this to happen." When Straw Hat said nothing, Law turned his head slightly, and saw that Luffy was just staring at him now. Law sighed lightly again, "Doflamingo threatened to go after my crew if I didn't do as he asked." Law stared up at the darkening sky, "I didn't anyway, and that was why all those things were happening earlier on the ship. Doflamingo was trying to get me to kill you, since he probably figured I had no intention of doing so."

"Hmm, I guess that make sense. Zoro said you were trying to hurt me." Luffy smiled brightly, "But if it wasn't your fault, then it's fine."

Luffy's abrupt decision to not hold it against him for trying to off him in a not so subtle way caught Law off guard. The Heart Pirate smiled faintly. He was worn-out and ached from the wounds Doflamingo had inflicted on him. "We shouldn't waste time engaging in a fight with Joker-ya here, but it seems we don't have much of a choice if we want to leave unhindered."

"Yeah?" Luffy picked his nose, as if waiting for Law to say something specific.

Law was irritated with Straw Hat, before he realized what Luffy was waiting for him to say. Checking to see that Kidd was out of ear shot, the Heart Pirate spoke softly, "Joker-ya wants to take me back to Dressrosa, and make me work for him again. After taking everything important to me away." The Heart Pirate squeezed his eyes shut, "I'd rather die than have that happen." Law opened his eyes and looked up at Luffy, speaking softly, "I want to take him down myself, but I wouldn't mind a little help."

Luffy grinned, "Got it." He ran over to Kidd, slapping him on the shoulder, "Let's go beat 'mingo up!"

Kidd shook Luffy off his shoulder, "Don't tell me what to do." With a lopsided grin, Kidd ran in the direction of the sound of a fight, "Though I do want to kick that bastard's ass." After all, Kidd needed to make up for the previous embarrassing exchange.

Law couldn't help but smile faintly as Luffy and Kidd left him where he was as they raced one another to other side of the cave, arguing. The Heart Pirate figured that Luffy and Kidd would do as they liked, and would hope for the best. If he couldn't trust the other pirate captains, to an extent, then the plan he had wouldn't be able to be seen through to its completion. Law figured that he must have been wearier than he'd thought, because he slipped off into a light doze.

-x

Doflamingo figured that a few more strikes would take care of two of Straw Hat's crew. With a grin, he raised a hand to finish his wounded opponents off, when Luffy and Kidd came flying in. Doflamingo jerked backward out of the way, though his shoulder ended up being grazed by a punch from Luffy and a swipe from Kidd, because he can't quite dodge the other two.

"Zoro! Sanji!" Luffy said, landing on the ground and spinning to face Doflamingo. He didn't need to take his eyes off the blond to know that his two friends had retreated, having discussed their strategy earlier. Whether Luffy would fully follow it depended entirely on just how much he wanted to beat Doflamingo up.

Doflamingo's attention turned to Luffy and Kidd, and with almost inhuman movement, all three captains exchanged blows. Doflamingo grinned as he followed after Kidd and Luffy as they skirted off into the forest. Doflamingo lifted his hand. If they thought that the forest would provide them cover from his attacks, they were wrong.

Doflamingo didn't realize at the time that he was being led into a hastily set up trap near the pool of sea water.

-x

Law thought he was going to be able to have a nice rest, but it wasn't to be. It seemed like he'd only just dozed off when he was being shaken by his uninjured right shoulder. The Heart Pirate's eyelids slit open a little to glare at being disturbed.

"Time to get up. You don't want Luffy and Kidd to have all the fun, do you?" Sanji questioned, helping Law into a seated position.

The Heart Pirate shook his head slightly, "It's not like I can put up a fight right now." Not unless Straw Hat's friends wanted to potentially fight with him again. Doflamingo would use any and all resources in a fight.

"You won't have to." Zoro responded, though his katana were now sheathed, "Provided Luffy sticks to the plan for once, but even if he doesn't, we should be able to handle things."

"What are you talking about?" Law disliked things being unclear, even if it registered in his mind that a short term plan had been made up on the spot. One that Luffy more than likely would not follow.

Sanji and Zoro exchanged glances, before the cook answered, "Well, you see…" He laid out the plan they had come up with on their way to the island on the Mini Merry.

Law was speechless by the time Sanji finished, and he could only laugh weakly, "I guess we've already started a fight with Joker-ya. If it doesn't work, things could go badly. He doesn't like being caught unawares."

"Too bad for him." Sanji said in response, as he helped Law to his feet.

Zoro drew two of his katana, and led the way through the forest, "We need to hurry. Staying in a longer fight with Doflamingo is probably a bad idea." He kept an eye out for any of the animals on the island that might try to attack them.

Law allowed Sanji to help him along, even if he hated the fact that he was feeling so weak that he couldn't even walk under his own power without collapsing. The Straw Hat Pirate's plan was crazy enough that it might just work. Surely Doflamingo wasn't going to expect them to try and catch him, and they could use that to their advantage.

The only downside was that they would have a murderous Doflamingo on their hands should the quickly thrown together plan fall flat.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ahhahaha, pummeling time in the next chapter. Even though I feel like I'm being really mean to Law, Doflamingo is going to get it in the next chapter. He won't know what hit him…well, other than Luffy, that is.

Aaaaand I had a thought occur to me last night, so like adding Doflamingo to this fic, I thought of something else I wanted to do. So the summary is going to have to change a bit, because I'm going to write about them going to Dressrosa after all. Though...in more of a brief way, since I really just want to write my own version of Doflamingo getting his ass kicked there (cause there's a lot of drawings that I've seen on it). Plus I wanted to do my own twist on Cora, whom Law thinks about (not going to go much into it, as there is little to no info on Cora at the moment). But I wanted to toy around with the idea that crossed my mind before something official comes out about it. I tend to think about a lot of things when I have too much free time. I might even change my mind by the time I get to that point, since there's still a few chapters left for this part of the story.

On an unrelated note to the above, I think I caught the grammatical errors.


	13. Chapter 13

Kidd was not at all pleased with the way things were turning out. Sure, he didn't expect the trees to be much of an issue for Doflamingo, but that wasn't what was bothering him. The red headed captain grit his teeth. What did bother him was that Doflamingo had decided to use his damn powers to puppet him around. Kidd swung a fist, narrowly avoiding hitting Straw Hat.

Kidd ground his teeth together in frustration as Doflamingo forced him to continue his assault on Luffy, who didn't appear to realize that it was Doflamingo's doing. Kidd hated the loss of control, and as soon as he was able to, he was going to pay Doflamingo back tenfold for this humiliating act. Fucking bastard didn't even seem inclined to fight while he was manipulating him.

Kidd side swiped Luffy as he went by, and the red head scowled irritably. The Straw Hat Pirate's half-baked scheme had better work, because Kidd was seriously questioning their sanity. He highly doubted that Doflamingo was stupid enough to fall for such a poorly laid trap, unless he was sufficiently distracted. Kidd winced as Doflamingo made him turn around and lunge at Luffy, swinging his metal limb this time.

"Hey, metal-guy! What are you doing?!" Luffy questioned as he dodged a swipe from Kidd. "You're not still mad about forming an alliance with us, are you?"

"I never formed an alliance with you, Straw Hat!" Kidd grumbled crossly as he strained against the invisible force that was making him assail Luffy, "It's that bastard's Devil Fruit abilities that are making me attack you! Didn't you listen to your crewmates or Trafalgar?!"

"Oh! He's doing that puppet thing then." Luffy pushed off of Kidd's shoulder as the red headed captain lunged at him again. Luffy turned his attention to Doflamingo, who was nearby and angling a few fingers in Kidd's direction. Luffy grinned, "I just have to make him stop it then!"

Doflamingo smiled back as he forced Kidd to turn around and go for Luffy again. Straw Hat was too sure of himself. Even if he attacked, he couldn't…

Something came at him from the side, and Doflamingo twisted, narrowly avoiding a jagged piece of metal that looked like it had been a part of a sword originally. He had thought he had had full control over the red headed pirate captain, but Kidd had managed to regain control over his right hand and used his own Devil Fruit powers to retaliate. Doflamingo's sneer widened as he slashed his other hand through the air at Kidd, striking him and sending him flying backward. Doflamingo dropped the strings manipulating Kidd as the red head crashed into the trees.

"Gum Gum Jet Stamp!" Luffy yelled as he dropped down out of the trees at Doflamingo, swinging his leg down at the older pirate.

Doflamingo gracefully dodged to one side as he raised his hand, and slashed it through the air viciously as Straw Hat dropped down, "Five color string!"

"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed as he used his falling momentum to narrowly avoid the attack. Without missing a beat, Luffy swung his fist at Doflamingo, "Gum Gum Jet Bullet!"

Doflamingo's hand shot out and caught the Straw Hat Pirate's fist, stumbling back from the force with which Luffy had thrown the punch. The blond smiled nastily as his grip tightened on Luffy's fist, his other hand lifting as he pointed a finger, "Bullet String!"

Luffy twisted out of the way but was unable to avoid the strike entirely as the string grazed his left shoulder. Ignoring the new wound and the fact that it could have been a lot worse, Luffy swung his other arm, intent on getting at least one of his attacks to connect. The fist stopped short, as Doflamingo had just used an invisible string to halt it. Luffy didn't let it bother him, as he just swung his leg.

Doflamingo's concentration broke as more shards of metal flew through the air from the tree line, most of it missing its mark. It apparently had the desired effect, as the jagged bits of metal dropped to the ground as soon as Doflamingo retreated, forced to release Luffy to avoid being struck. Doflamingo winced as Straw Hat took the chance to slug him squarely in the stomach, sending him flying backward into a tree with a sickening crack. Doflamingo breathlessly ran a hand sharply before him and sent Luffy roughly backward into the trees, as Kidd emerged from them with a livid expression.

Doflamingo stood up, shaking out his arms as he prepared for another short round with the red head. It amused him that all the bloodlust aimed his way would do no good if Kidd couldn't actually reach him. The red head didn't appear to care about such trivial things, as the older pirate saw him call on his Devil Fruit powers, drawing metal toward himself. Doflamingo lifted a hand and pointed a finger, "Bullet String."

Kidd swiftly used the metal he had drawn in from around the island to block Doflamingo's attack, and moved himself out of the way when it was clear that the older man was keeping his distance. Kidd supposed it made sense since Doflamingo was able to make his Devil Fruit power reach from far away. Kidd growled something under his breath as he raised a hand, again drawing in the metal gathered, "Repel." The red head watched in frustration as the older pirate easily evaded the attack, looking more and more entertained by the second. Kidd scowled. Doflamingo was one agile motherfucker, despite his height, and was dodging his attacks with an infuriating amount of ease.

Kidd ducked as an invisible string shot past him overhead, and stumbled to the side. Kidd wasn't surprised that Doflamingo had managed to catch up to them in the forest by levelling most of the trees that had separated them. Kidd threw himself to the left, avoiding another Bullet String, and noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Luffy had emerged from the trees. It seemed that Straw Hat appeared to have no plan other than to try and beat Doflamingo to a pulp. The strategy didn't appear to be working very well, as Doflamingo merely deflected Luffy's punches, while injuring him with strikes of his own.

It didn't seem to be useful, especially if Doflamingo kept throwing Luffy backward, but it allowed Kidd to launch another attack of his own. With Doflamingo's attention on Luffy once more, the red head felt that he would be able to run in and land a hit. Smirking, Kidd raised an arm, and the metal that he had momentarily dropped to the ground rose, and clumped together. Just as he was about to try and fling the metal at Doflamingo again, Kidd stopped short. The red headed captain found that he unable to move. Kidd noticed that Doflamingo had a hand raised in his direction, though his attention was solely on Luffy. Kidd clenched a fist. The bastard was doing what he'd done earlier. Doflamingo was holding him in place with the invisible string, and was again preventing him from fighting.

Doflamingo ran a hand swiftly through the air at Luffy, successfully knocking him to the ground with another five color string attack. Satisfied that Luffy would take a moment to recover, Doflamingo turned his attention to Kidd. He wondered why the other captain had shown up in the area. He hadn't seen any other ships other than Straw Hats', and those no name pirates. Doflamingo had been under the impression from the paper yesterday morning that the red headed captain had formed an alliance with two other crews.

Doflamingo narrowed his eyes, even if it was hidden by the tinted glasses he was wearing. He highly doubted that Kidd was there of his own volition, and the storm that was dissipating off the coast of this island was likely to be the culprit. Doflamingo absently flexed his hand in Kidd's direction, constricting the invisible string and drawing forth an incoherent snarl of rage. Doflamingo was unimpressed, and decided that it was Kidd's own fault that he had attempted to start a fight with him.

Kidd was not intimidated in the least at the obvious glare now being sent his way. He was going to make this as difficult as possible for Doflamingo, until the other decided it wasn't worth it to bother anymore. Kidd was angry that he hadn't yet been released from the other's control, and it only made him strain more noticeably against the invisible strings holding him in place. Kidd returned Doflamingo's glare with a smirk. He wasn't about to let Doflamingo keep him out of a fight it he could help it.

"You really should stop that." Doflamingo warned, when he noticed that Kidd didn't seem inclined to cease struggling against his Devil Fruit powers. Doflamingo couldn't help but smirk at the malevolent look thrown his way at his words. Doflamingo felt Kidd go a still for a moment, before he resumed fighting to get away from the string's constricting hold. Doflamingo frowned a little. It didn't make much sense to him that Kidd wanted to clash with him. Doflamingo didn't have a quarrel with the red head after all. Law and the Straw Hat Pirates had reason, yes, but not Kidd, "Stay out of my way." Doflamingo added as he lifted his other hand.

Kidd laughed in response as he managed to twitch his right hand. The small movement sent a jagged bit of metal at Doflamingo, where it caught the blond on the shoulder and opened up a small but deep gash. Before Kidd could laugh at the accuracy he had managed, the string tightened. Kidd bit back a pained choke as one of the strings wrapped around his artificial arm and tugged hard at it. Perhaps he should have waited until Doflamingo had stopped paying him any heed.

"I told you to stay out of my way. This has nothing to do with you." Doflamingo said irritably, mostly ignoring the slight pain that rose from the small wound. Doflamingo bent a finger, and Kidd's mechanical arm was lifted up over his head, "If you still insist on trying to fight after I disable this arm of yours, I will make sure I do something more permanent."

"I'll fucking kill you if you do." Kidd snarled as he continued to fight the invisible restraints, even as he felt the string dig into his skin to prevent his escape.

"All you rookies are such annoying brats. Most of you don't stop to think about how there will always be someone better than you." Doflamingo bent another finger, smirking widely as the movement caused Kidd to collapse to his knees with a strangled gasp. Doflamingo released Kidd from his control soon after, and watched as the red head's right hand clutched at his artificial limb. Doflamingo figured that should keep Kidd out of the way, but as a precaution he waited to see how the other would react. Straw Hat Luffy hadn't come back yet, meaning that he had knocked the other far enough away that it was taking him some time to return.

Kidd's attention went from Doflamingo to his artificial limb, and he looked it over silently. The red headed captain was infuriated when he realized that he was going to have to fix a few things to get the arm fully functional again. Sure, he could use his Devil Fruit powers to maintain it, but it would tire him out, and therefore it just wasn't worth it. Kidd left the limb alone, despite the weight that pulled at the skin where it was connected. Kidd noticed Doflamingo looking down at him, as if waiting to see what he was going to do. The red head was smart enough to not make a move right away, and his mind raced as he tried to figure out how to retaliate. Kidd wasn't about to let this bastard tell him what to do.

Doflamingo's grin was still in place, because he could tell that even though he had made it clear that he could have injured Kidd much more, the red head still looked ready for a fight. Doflamingo was ready to launch another attack, when Luffy suddenly flew out from the surrounding trees, and landed a solid punch on him. The force behind the strike sent Doflamingo up into the air.

The older pirate laughed as he righted himself midair and landed on a nearby tree branch. Kidd was immediately put to the back of his mind as Doflamingo smirked at Luffy. He wondered how long it would take for him to make Straw Hat Luffy stay down.

-x

"There they are." Zoro commented, glimpsing the scene from the line of trees that Doflamingo hadn't yet leveled.

Sanji left Law to lean his back against a tree as the cook poked the sea stone shard inlaid nets nearby with a foot, "At least they actually stuck to the plan." He joined Zoro to watch the fight, before he amended his words, "Well, Kidd is, at the very least." Luffy just looked like he was trying his best to pummel the hell out of Doflamingo.

Zoro shook his head at the sight of Luffy being thrown backward and Kidd being partially incapacitated when Doflamingo disabled his mechanical arm. Zoro leaned over and picked up one of the nets that Sanji had toed moments before. "This is a stupid plan. We should just attack him all at once."

Sanji picked up the other net, shrugging, "With his Devil Fruit abilities, he might just manipulate one of us and stay back. Like what he did with Law back by the cave, and Kidd just now. If we catch him by surprise he might not react quickly enough because it _is_ such a stupid idea."

"That idiot." Zoro muttered, when he caught sight of Luffy being immobilized midair by a widely grinning Doflamingo. Zoro moved swiftly along behind the tree line in one direction, Sanji going in the other.

Law wearily shifted around the tree, before he sat down and let out a shaky sigh. His new vantage point allowed him a good view of the clearing right before him, and the Heart Pirate could now see what was going on. Law lifted a hand quickly when he saw that Doflamingo had just launched himself at Luffy, prepared to strike, "Room." Law uttered softly, creating a smaller space than usual due to his fatigue, but at least it managed to be big enough to cover the whole clearing. Law swiftly switched Luffy's position on one side of the pool to the other with a rock. Law bit his lip as he struggled to maintain the room, until he saw one of Straw Hat's crewmates.

-x

Doflamingo had not expected to see one of Law's rooms again so soon, but he figured that the Heart Pirate was exhausted enough that he wouldn't be able to keep it going for long. He dismissed Law for the moment, as he hadn't done anything yet, and kept his focus on Luffy, whom he had just struck with a five color string attack. It was then that Doflamingo realized that he shouldn't have discounted Law, because instead of striking Luffy again, he was suddenly slicing up a rock.

Doflamingo recovered from his surprise quickly as he noted that with the way he was currently dropping he would end up in the pool of water below. Doflamingo redirected his attack in midair as soon as he located where Law was resting against a nearby tree. The Heart Pirate had interfered with his bout with Straw Hat Luffy by helping the other get out of his way by using his Devil Fruit powers.

Doflamingo swiftly reevaluated the situation, and came to the conclusion that it would be best to have Law unconscious, before he did anything more. Doflamingo saw Law lift his head to look at him, and the older man decided that he didn't like the tiny smirk that had appeared on the Heart Pirate's face, or the fact that he had let the room drop. Doflamingo sensed someone coming up from behind him, and glanced over his shoulder. The older pirate spotted Zoro dropping down out of a tree at him, a net being flung at him. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it could be. Doflamingo twisted out of the way, and he raised a hand to strike at Zoro as he passed by.

That was when another net dropped directly onto Doflamingo, and the effect was immediate.

Doflamingo faltered in midair, his attack halted as the sea stone prism weaved into the net negated his Devil Fruit powers. With his momentum lost, Doflamingo continued to drop, and he cursed as he realized that he was still headed straight for the pool of water. Doflamingo fought to free himself from the net before he finished falling down. He managed to partially free himself, but before Doflamingo could rid himself of the net altogether, Luffy came at him from the edge of the pool.

"Gum Gum Jet Gatling!" Luffy yelled as he landed blow after blow, sending Doflamingo out of the way of the pool, and into the nearby tree line, where he struck one of the trees again with a loud crack. Doflamingo chose to focus on the net instead of the slight pain at the impact to the tree behind him. He nearly managed to shake the net off as he got to his feet, and stooped to let Luffy go flying over his head. Doflamingo let out a breathless laugh, about to rid himself of the damned net, when Straw Hat came charging right back.

"Mingo!" Luffy shouted as he slugged Doflamingo hard in the abdomen, sending the larger man flying backward, and straight into the pool of water. Luffy wobbled a little, "Ugh, sea stone prism…"

Zoro caught Luffy by the back of his shirt before his captain fell into the water along with Doflamingo. Zoro shook his head. Of course Luffy would have forgotten about the sea stone shard tied into the net. The green haired swordsman dropped Luffy to the ground to recover as he ran around the pool to where Sanji was retrieving the first net.

Doflamingo surfaced after he had fallen into the water, and floundered about as soon as he understood that it was sea water. The net was impeding his progress a little, but with a few more furious flails, he managed to get the cursed thing off of him. Doflamingo kept himself upright through sheer willpower, even though the sea water only came up to a little over his waist. Although the obviously makeshift net was no longer blocking his Devil Fruit powers, it was now the sea water that was sapping him of his energy. It made it harder to stay upright, but Doflamingo refused to allow something like this to take him down so easily.

Doflamingo grit his teeth as he forced himself to remain upright while trying to work up enough strength to lunge for the nearest edge of the pool. It was obvious that the Straw Hat Pirates had lured him there for some nefarious purpose, and he didn't want to stick around to find out what it was. He doubted it was to just toss him into some sea water. Doflamingo flexed one of his hands slowly, testing. He could still call on his ability, but with the sea water he was immersed in, he wasn't sure how many attacks he could launch, if at all. The older pirate knew that it was only a matter of time before he wore himself out entirely. Despite that, he would launch as many attacks as he was able to. Doflamingo glared spitefully at Straw Hat Luffy and Kidd, who were within his immediate eyesight.

Kidd returned the glare with one of his own as he absently cradled his left arm. The tug of metal on skin had won out, and Kidd decided to hold the limb up for the time being. He didn't want to be distracted right now. After all, he wasn't going to let Doflamingo get off so easily. A dip in some water was nothing compared to some of the thoughts swirling in the red head's mind. Kidd was going to find a way to make Doflamingo pay for daring to use his string to puppet him around. Kidd smiled nastily, "Why don't we just kill him? It'd be less of a hassle."

"No. It'll be a problem for us all if Kaido doesn't have a target to bring his wrath down on." Law commented wearily as he limped forward to join the small group. He had his weapon drawn, but it was pointed at the ground, "Besides, I don't think we'll have a problem with Joker-ya now."

Doflamingo transferred his gaze to glower at Law, and lifted one of his hands. He had enough left in him for at least one good strike. Doflamingo figured that he would be able to use a small burst energy to attack the damned brat that was discussing him like he wasn't a threat anymore. Doflamingo's grin stretched as he furrowed his brow. Law obviously hadn't learned his place, and Doflamingo figured that he would have to remedy that immediately. Just because he seemed to be at a slight disadvantage didn't mean that he wasn't still dangerous.

"Hey, Tra-guy! 'Mingo wants to keep going." Luffy pointed out, and the Straw Hat Pirate captain looked like he was more than willing to continue the fight. He looked ready to jump at Doflamingo, despite the fact that the older man was waist deep in sea water and appeared ready to murder anything that dared to come near him.

"No Straw Hat-ya!" Law reached out and seized one of Luffy's arms, "It's not going to be a problem. We should conserve our strength for later."

"Wouldn't it be better to just kick his butt now?" Luffy asked, picking his nose and looking at Law irritably for preventing him from slugging Doflamingo.

"Later. Right now it wouldn't be useful. I can explain later." Law said as he let go of Luffy's arm. In truth he was too weary to hold onto the other's arm any longer. He was exhausted, and needed to rest, soon. He needed to be back to full strength when they eventually got to Green Bit and Dressrosa. Law couldn't afford to be anything but refreshed. Things wouldn't be able to go according to his plan if he weren't.

Doflamingo locked eyes with the Heart Pirate. He raised his hand a little more obviously, making it clear to Law what he was doing when he pointed a finger at the panting Heart Pirate. Just as he was about to strike, Doflamingo realized that Straw Hat's crewmates had decided to launch attacks of their own.

Doflamingo left off attacking Law, as he grit his teeth and used his hand to instead block Sanji's kick. Gripping the foot tightly, Doflamingo tossed Sanji roughly to the side, twitching one of his fingers on his other hand to bring forth one invisible string to put Zoro off course. The blades went wide of their mark, and struck nothing but air. It frustrated Doflamingo to no end that this was all he could manage to do. The sea water was sapping too much of his energy to do much more.

Breathing heavily, Doflamingo started to slosh his way over to the edge of the pool, and to dry land, cursing the water as he went. Doflamingo's mind raced as he thought about what he was going to do as soon as he could use his ability to the fullest. Manipulating Straw Hat's crew to attack their captain sounded like a good start. Beating Law back down was also considered, as he was going to have to make it clear to the Heart Pirate that he wasn't going to deal with him causing him any more inconveniences.

The ideas fled Doflamingo's mind as he was suddenly greeted with a view of Sanji launching himself straight at him. Doflamingo leaned backward, raising a hand to block, but wasn't quick enough. The savage kick connected this time as Sanji struck Doflamingo heavily in the chest. It sent him backward through the water, and to the other side of the pool. Doflamingo felt the side of the pool dig against his back, and grinned. His chest ached a little at the precise kick, but the idiot had put him right next to land.

Doflamingo started to turn, before another net suddenly dropped down out of the blue directly over his head. Doflamingo caught sight of the green-haired swordsman, Zoro, standing on the ground a few feet away, and it was clear that he had been the one to toss the net. Doflamingo gripped the net, biting his lip slightly as the sea stone prism in the nets negated his powers again, and were no doubt sapping his strength. Doflamingo attempted to free himself, and since he was completely immersed in what he was doing, he didn't realize that Zoro and Sanji were coming at him from either side. Splashes that weren't his own alerted Doflamingo that something was up, as were the hands that seized his arms.

Doflamingo slumped against the edge of the pool, and he cursed inwardly as the net made him feel ridiculously weak and exhausted. Doflamingo rested his head and upper body against the ground, and figured that since his limbs were shaky and not listening to him, that he would have slipped beneath the water by now. Only he hadn't, because Sanji and Zoro were both in the water now and had him pinned against the side of the pool. Doflamingo felt the two Straw Hat Pirates begin to force his arms behind his back, and that was when he would have fought back to stop them. However, trapped by the net as he was, Doflamingo could only twitch in protest.

Zoro made sure that he and Sanji had a sure grip on Doflamingo's arms, before the swordsman reached with one hand for the handcuffs that he had set down next to the edge of the pool. The swordsman made eye contact with Luffy, and then Law. "Are you two sure about this?"

Luffy gave a disinterested shrug, while Law nodded, "Yes." Law sheathed his blade and rested it against his uninjured right shoulder. It was almost too easy, but the Heart Pirate doubted that Doflamingo had thought that they were trying to catch him.

Doflamingo tilted his head slightly to side glance at Zoro, before he looked over at Straw Hat and Law. "Sure about what?" Doflamingo demanded, before he shifted and grumbled a curse under his breath as he felt his wrists forced closer together. Before Doflamingo could make sense of the action, he heard a distinct click as metal settled around his wrists. Fury rose in the older pirate as he grasped that he had just been handcuffed, and with sea stone, from the feel of them. Doflamingo couldn't do much about it at the moment, as he had already worn himself out from the past few fights and dropping into this accursed pool of sea water.

Zoro and Sanji made sure that they kept Doflamingo's upper body trapped within the net as they hoisted the taller man the rest of the way out of the water. Zoro drew a katana and held it between Doflamingo's shoulder blades in silent warning. The green haired swordsman watched as Sanji dove beneath the surface of the pool, no doubt to retrieve the other net. Zoro calmly looked away, and flicked his gaze in Law's direction, "What are you planning on doing with him?" Zoro tapped the katana lightly against Doflamingo's back.

Doflamingo stilled at the keen blade tapping him, before realizing that his coat was missing. He wouldn't have felt the blade as much otherwise. Doflamingo glanced back at the pool, and his jaw set at the sight of Luffy pulling his saturated pick feathery coat out of the water and poking at it. Doflamingo checked the strength of the handcuffs, only to tire and slump back down as he inwardly fumed at this unexpected turn of events. He had fallen right into a poorly laid trap, and the worst part of it was that he could do absolutely nothing about it, cut off from his Devil Fruit powers and tired out as he was.

Doflamingo considered fighting back, even though he knew that it would just wear himself out even more. The older pirate dismissed the idea almost immediately. He figured that he wouldn't be able to do much while the net was still in the way. Doflamingo discreetly tested his legs, and since they weren't weighed down with a net, he figured that he might be able to give someone a good kick.

Law looked down at Doflamingo as he subconsciously wrapped his right hand more tightly around his sheathed blade. He had already weighed a few different options, and the decision he had come to was one he wasn't particularly happy about. Law had figured it would be the case if they actually succeeded in catching Doflamingo by surprise. The only thing left was to see how the Straw Hat Pirates would take to the idea.

Law let out a slow sigh as he answered Zoro's query, "We'll have to take him with us."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

There is going to be another fight in a later chapter against Doflamingo, which is why I didn't have Luffy go all out with him in this one. While they take longer to write, I really do enjoy writing battles, even if they don't last for very long (it's kind of difficult to describe the fights in in a way that is able to be visualized).

There will be some humorous stuff in the next chapter, and maybe a few more serious things. 'Cause, you know, Doflamingo is going to be on the ship. And yeah, they could have left him on the island, but this way they have some (?) control over the situation (and also for plot reasons).

Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows. Since it sounds/looks like it is still going well, I'll keep at it. I might not be able to keep up the once a week update, so if it takes longer, I'm likely still working on a chapter (as well as taking care of stuff in real life).


	14. Chapter 14

Kidd, who stood nearby as he leered at Doflamingo, barked out a laugh at Law's words, "Good idea, Trafalgar. Bring someone onto a ship that wants to kill you." Kidd clenched his right hand into a fist and regarded Doflamingo with a nasty smirk, "Though that might not be a bad thing. Maybe I can beat him around a little before my crew comes to get me."

Sanji, who had surfaced with the other net, joined Zoro to look at the Heart Pirate like he was insane. Why wouldn't they just leave Doflamingo on the island? His own crew was sure to notice his absence, so they would go out to look for him. Why would they put everyone on the Thousand Sunny in harm's way by bringing such a dangerous man on board? Sanji shook his head as he dug around for a cigarette, "Why the hell would we do that?"

"Why would we want him with us?" Luffy demanded, looking like he wanted nothing more than to deal with Doflamingo now.

Zoro kept his katana against Doflamingo's back, nodding his agreement with his crewmates, "Wouldn't it be better to leave him here?"

Law ignored Kidd as he spoke to the three Straw Hat Pirates, "We'll drop him off the coast of Dressrosa, and leave before someone can see us." The Heart Pirate turned his attention to Doflamingo, who had tilted his head to stare at him, "We will still plan on bringing Caesar to Green Bit a half day later. I'll tell you my conditions for that. They've altered a little because of this."

There was a short silence following that proclamation, before Doflamingo let loose a manic laugh. This was getting out of hand, and it irked him to no end that there wasn't much he could do about it. When his laughter at the ridiculous position he found himself in had died down, Doflamingo's smile turned unpleasant. The older pirate lifted his head to stare directly at Law, "You are going to regret this, Law." Doflamingo's attention was draw from the Heart Pirate momentarily as he felt Zoro and Sanji tangle his legs with the other net that the cook had just retrieved from the bottom of the pool. The older man bared his teeth at the two in exasperation, "Those damn nets are unnecessary with the handcuffs."

"We can't have you wander Straw Hat-ya's ship freely." When Law saw the older man go back to glaring at him, Law gave him a blank look, "Unless you'd prefer we attach the handcuffs to a line and drag you along behind the ship through the seawater?"

Doflamingo merely glowered at Law, not smiling anymore as he wracked his mind to find a way out of this. He was fairly certain that the Heart Pirate would do just what he'd suggested, and Doflamingo had no desire to drown in such a fashion. Even if Law said they'd dump him off on Dressrosa, he didn't want them to just be able to wander off without any trouble. Doflamingo would have to make sure he got into contact with his crew and have some of them be ready to go after Straw Hat's ship.

Law was silent for a moment. He knew that Doflamingo was likely to attack them as soon as he was given the chance. The Heart Pirate puzzled over the problem, until a solution came to mind. As Law limped forward, he mused about just how furious Doflamingo was going to be with him when he realized what he was about to do. What Law had in mind was the only thing that he could think of that would ensure that the older pirate didn't try anything funny while aboard the Thousand Sunny. The Heart Pirate knelt down in front of Doflamingo, and glanced up at Zoro and Sanji, both of whom were giving him perplexed looks.

Law made eye contact with Doflamingo briefly. The older man wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, he wore a frown. Law knew that meant that Doflamingo was still thinking about how to free himself. At least until the other pirate noted that Law was kneeling in front of him.

Doflamingo studied the Heart Pirate with a frown. The older pirate wasn't exactly angry anymore; he was exasperated. He wondered why Law would endanger those he was in an alliance with by bringing him on board their ship. Apart from the fact that he wasn't exactly a danger right now, with the handcuffs in place. Doflamingo's frown deepened at the sight of Law's faint smirk. It didn't bode well for him, and the tiny smile meant that Law was up to something, and Doflamingo didn't think that he wanted to find out what the younger man had planned.

Law noted that Doflamingo was suspicious about his actions, and decided he'd better act now. The Heart Pirate directed his attention back to Straw Hat's crewmates as his smirk became a bit smug, "Hold him up for me?"

Sanji and Zoro exchanged looks, but complied as they hoisted Doflamingo up slightly. They were a little mystified with what the Heart Pirate was up to.

Law inched closer as the Straw Hat Pirate's brought Doflamingo up to his knees. The taller pirate had gone still, though it was clear that he was considering an attempt to lurch upright. To rid himself of the nets or Straw Hat's crewmates, Law didn't care. The Heart Pirate reached out with his right hand, ready for Doflamingo's response to his action.

Doflamingo figured out in an instant what Law was up to, and his mood went from irritated to beside himself with fury. Doflamingo began to thrash, to put himself out of Law's immediate reach. He didn't seem to care at the moment that the sea prism stone inlaid nets and sea stone handcuffs were draining him of his energy the more he fought. "Don't even think about it, Law!" Doflamingo spat as he continued to struggle. The older pirate completely ignored Sanji and Zoro as they held onto him more tightly to prevent him from getting to his feet.

"Whatever you're doing, hurry up with it." Zoro gritted out, grimly holding Doflamingo in place. It was ridiculous the amount of strength that the former warlord had, despite the restraints that wore out Devil Fruit users to the point of exhaustion. Doflamingo was far from complaint, and with every desperate movement, the older man was only harming himself. Whatever Law was about to do was worth attempting the impossible, apparently. Zoro increased the strength of his grip, grimly waiting for the Heart Pirate to make his move.

Sanji figured out what Law had planned when he saw the Heart Pirate's hand hover over Doflamingo. With a sharp movement, the Straw Hat Pirate cook helpfully tugged the net up out of the way of Doflamingo's chest. The motion caused a renewed struggle in Doflamingo even though it was clear to everyone present that it was a useless gesture.

Doflamingo's breath came in harsh, rasping pants, and while he inwardly wanted to continue to resist the inevitable, his body wasn't able to keep up. With one last desperate attempt to shake off his captors, Doflamingo went limp as he struggled to regain his breath. The sea prism stone had done its job, and had drained him of most of his energy. Doflamingo twitched faintly as he felt Law's hand as it rested on his chest. Doflamingo flicked his gaze up at the Heart Pirate, but said nothing, as he was too worn out to bring forth any words. For now. He settled for glowering at the upstart, knowing that he didn't need to say anything to let Law know that he had stepped over the line. Doflamingo could see it written across the Heart Pirate's face that he knew this probably wasn't the best thing to do.

Law avoided looking directly at Doflamingo as he instead concentrated on the task at hand. Steadying his wounded left hand, Law spoke shakily, "Room." It was even smaller than before, but it surrounded himself and Doflamingo, so it sufficed. Law twisted his hand and drew Doflamingo's heart out of his chest, the organ suspended in a clear cube. Law stood up as he dropped the room. He swayed a little, before he shook away the dizziness. Even the short amount of time that the room had been up had nearly sent him into exhausted unconsciousness. Law backed up a few steps, as he didn't have any desire to look at Doflamingo as he stared at the beating heart in his hand. Law spoke absently, "We should go back to the ship." When he was back on board the Sunny, he would have to find somewhere to hide Doflamingo's heart.

"Law. Put my heart back. Now." Doflamingo demanded in a low tone as he glared furiously at the Heart Pirate, who pointedly ignored him. Doflamingo warily watched Law's movements, as if the older man expected the younger to start abusing the heart in his hand.

"Yeah, we need to help Kinemon's friend soon too." Luffy crossed his arms as he frowned a little in disappointment, "Even though I wanna just deal with mingo here." Luffy took a few steps and crouched in front of Doflamingo, his attention changing gears as he realized something, "How'd his glasses stay on?" Luffy either didn't notice or didn't seem to care that Doflamingo had just tilted his head away from his questing hands. Luffy poked at the glasses, "I thought I hit him hard enough that they would have gone flying. Weird."

Doflamingo twitched his head out of Straw Hat's reach, irritated that Luffy merely followed after him and resumed poking at the glasses as if he found them fascinating for not flying off. "Hands off, brat. I made it so they wouldn't." Doflamingo was angered that he had gotten ganged up on and dealt with in such a humiliating fashion. The older pirate grunted as he leaned further to one side as he tried to prevent Luffy from plucking the glasses off of the bridge of his nose.

"I wanna see them. How'd you get them to stay on? Are they magic?" Luffy redoubled his efforts to remove the glasses, despite the net that was half way over Doflamingo's head.

"He used his Devil Fruit powers to stop them from being knocked off. It isn't magic, Straw Hat-ya." As much as it was amusing to see Doflamingo being harassed, Law decided to stop things before they got too out of hand. He didn't think it would help if Doflamingo's shades were removed, as it would likely only anger the older man further. Law couldn't think of the last time Doflamingo had ever removed them anyway. Hardly any of the Donquioxte Family had seen the man without the tinted glasses.

Luffy was obviously greatly disappointed that it wasn't magic, because he immediately left Doflamingo alone.

Doflamingo didn't have much of a respite, as he suddenly found himself being dragged by Zoro and Sanji toward the surrounding forest, with Kidd and Luffy leading the way. Law stayed back to speak with Zoro and Sanji, while he tried to ignore Doflamingo, whose head was tilted to glare at him.

"I doubt that Joker-ya would have gone off without letting the rest of his crew know his intentions." Things were certainly going much more smoothly than anticipated, despite the initial mishaps. Law chanced a peek at Doflamingo, and was slightly relieved to see that he had let his head hang, as it appeared that it was too much of an effort to keep it up any longer. Law supposed it was lucky that Sanji and Zoro were strong, since Doflamingo appeared to have gone limp as well. It made the two Straw Hat Pirates carry the older man's dead weight, all but dragging the Donquioxte Pirate along. It appeared that Zoro didn't even seem to care about the extra weight.

"We should make a quick stop near Dressrosa sooner rather than later. Can you make one of those rooms and dump him on the shore? We could keep further away from land." Sanji questioned, readjusting his grip, "We don't exactly want a fight in the open sea at the moment."

"I need to rest before I can get the range, but that would probably be the best thing to do." Law responded, using his sheathed blade to keep himself up right now.

Doflamingo chuckled faintly, but otherwise didn't say anything, which was immediately suspicious to the three nearest him.

Kidd and Luffy, further ahead, were unaware of the conversation going on behind them.

"Something you want to share, Joker-ya?" Law questioned, though from his tone, he wasn't really expecting a response. The Heart Pirate wasn't disappointed when Doflamingo chose to say nothing. It still made Law uneasy. Doflamingo obviously knew something that they didn't, but there wasn't much use trying to get it out of the man at this point in time.

-x

The Mediocre Pirates watched the progress of the Straw Hat Pirates and those with them. When it seemed like they were not going toward them, the Mediocre Pirates made their way through half the island to board their own vessel. They were immensely grateful that they apparently were going to get away unnoticed.

Captain Mediocre decided that it would be in his best interest, as well as the best interest for the rest of his crew, if they headed back home. They obviously needed to reevaluate their life choices.

There was nothing like the taste of being ridiculously outclassed to bring forth a new perspective in one's life.

-x

Getting back to the Thousand Sunny was a bit of a task, but once the group figured it out, there wasn't any problem.

Luffy, Kidd, and Law had taken the Mini Merry back to the ship, and Law returned to the beach to get the remaining people that were waiting on shore.

Doflamingo eyed the small boat incredulously, wondering how those around him thought they all would fit on it. Doflamingo managed a slight kick when he was unceremoniously dropped into the boat, but the kick was prevented by Law, who blocked it with his sheathed blade. Doflamingo shifted uncomfortably, and noted that he took up most of the boat. The other Straw Hat's and Law weren't seriously thinking that they would all fit, did they? Unless they were planning sit on him, which would be completely out of the question. It wouldn't harm him, but it would be rather embarrassing, and something he would have to kill for.

Doflamingo let slide the fact that Law had just batted his feet out of the way as he sat down on the nearest chair. A splash caught Doflamingo's attention, and he realized that Sanji and Zoro were hitching a ride back to the ship by hanging onto the sides of the Mini Merry. Doflamingo decided that things were out of his hands for the moment, so he twisted slightly to leer unpleasantly at Law, who was steering the boat back to the Thousand Sunny.

Law was distinctly uncomfortable that the sea stone prism shards in the net were brushing up against his legs. Doflamingo was obviously doing it on purpose, trying to inch closer to the Heart Pirate and make some form of punishment for coming up with this plan. Law set his jaw and kept his eyes on the Thousand Sunny, "I'm not giving you your heart back, Joker-ya." The low chuckle and ease in the other man's voice made Law even more wary than he already had been before.

"Fufufufu. But you will, Law."

On the Thousand Sunny…

Kidd watched the stupidity unfold before him, and shook his head slightly. He was, however, rather amused with the pinioned and obviously exasperated Doflamingo as he was dragged aboard. It was too bad that he was going to have to leave the fun soon. Since the storm was all but gone, it was only a matter of time before his own crew came back to get him.

Kidd turned, deciding that he needed to seek out one of the Straw Hats to see if they had tools he could use to repair his artificial left limb.

Two hours later...

Law stared at his newly bandaged hand, and knew that he was lucky that his wounds weren't too detrimental to his health. Doflamingo had just been playing around with him, so Law knew he wasn't as badly injured as he could have been had the other pirate been interested in his death. They had merely been meant to incapacitate him and make him manageable. Law dropped his hand to his side as he wondered why he had thought bringing Doflamingo aboard had been a good idea. Law supposed it would prevent Doflamingo from coming after the Thousand Sunny without them knowing it.

Law glanced up to observe the insanity going on around him, almost relieved that no one was dwelling on what had just taken place on the island. Not even Luffy Zoro or Sanji, who had engaged in battle with Doflamingo were concerned with the older man, even if all three sported freshly bandaged wounds. Even Kidd seemed to be avoiding the topic. The red head had flat out refused to have his own wounds treated other than having them be disinfected to avoid infection. Law closed his eyes briefly, relieved to be alive. Things were finally beginning to fall back into motion.

It was quite a change in atmosphere, Law mused, as he looked at the crowd of pirates and samurai gathered in the galley. At the moment, the Heart Pirate was currently unsure whether he should be relieved or terrified that the Straw Hat Pirates had managed to get through to Kidd.

Sort of.

Law was also grateful that Doflamingo was apparently persona non grata while the crew ate dinner. It could have just been because of the alcohol that had made its way to the table.

"And then, I destroyed it." Kidd said tipsily, slamming his fist on the table to make his point, the strike heavy enough to make the dishware rattle, "Jus' like that!"

"Didn't they attack you after that?!" Chopper asked, hanging onto every word Kidd said. It was fascinating just how different the man was acting, and wasn't as scary right now. It was bizarre.

Kidd waved a hand in the air carelessly, "Nah, just killed 'em. Don't need any more enemies coming after me."

Usopp and Chopper leaned away from the Kidd pirate, concerned that he would kill them if he considered them enemies like they thought.

Kidd eyed his empty tankard, and then the remnants of the meal on his plate, before he roared across the galley at Sanji, who was cooking over some stoves, "Hey! Get more food over here, you son of a bitch!" Kidd grunted as he fell backward off his chair as Sanji launched a ladle and nailed the red head in the chin.

"The food will be done when I say it is! Lay off! You've asked three times already!"

Kidd propped himself up on the table, blinking as he glowered blearily at the cook, before grumbling something insulting under his breath. He then tried to sneak some of the alcohol from underneath Zoro's nose, which did not go over well at all. Kidd's hand closed around a bottle as the green haired swordsman grabbed it, preventing its removal from its place. Kidd tilted his head, and the two glared at one another. With a grin, Kidd tugged the bottle away and popped it open, downing a few mouthfuls. He smirked at Zoro, as if daring him to do something about the stolen alcohol.

Nami sighed as she lifted her plate up and out of the way as Zoro dove over the table at Kidd to reclaim his booze. She called over to Sanji, "Are you seriously cooking more food? Everyone else has already eaten. Only Luffy and Kidd were still eating."

Sanj was distracted from the food as he wiggled in place from Nami's attention, "I'm only cooking more so I can stay longer in your lovely presence!"

Nami rolled her eyes, used to the flirting, "Do I smell something burning?"

Luffy laughed at the sight of Sanji hurriedly working with several pans all at once, before he looked over to see Kidd and Zoro on the ground, wrestling over the bottle of wine.

Kidd leaned back, using his newly fixed left mechanical arm to keep Zoro at bay as he started drinking more of the wine. He got about a fourth of the way through it, before the potency hit him. Kidd let slip a happy grin as he shrugged Zoro away from him and leaned up against the table. Kidd glanced up and saw that the Heart Pirate was staying well away from the gathering, and Kidd decided to call him out on it, "You a pansy or something? Can't hold your liquor?"

Zoro sat down on a chair and plucked the bottle from Kidd's hand. The swordsman received no protest from the other as the red headed captain grinned at Law instead, awaiting a response.

Law felt it was above him to grace the other pirate with a response, so he took his plate of food and slipped out the nearest door.

Kidd snorted at the other's reaction, before he realized that there was some merit to the way Law was acting. Kidd blinked in surprise as Chopper and Usopp were suddenly before him and inspecting his left arm. Kidd leaned back more heavily against the table, not particularly caring when the two poked and prodded at it, obviously interested in the contraption.

Chopper from a medical point of view, as he assumed that it would be quite painful to attach a large amount of mental to one's skin. Usopp, because he was interested in how it worked.

"Do you use your Devil Fruit powers to maintain it?" Usopp queried, tilting the metal limb this way and that.

Kidd was feeling sleepy, but he automatically mumbled back a response, "Sometimes." Damn, his head was already pounding from the alcohol. Just how much of a proof had that wine been?

Chopper inspected Kidd's shoulder where the metal met skin, "Doesn't that hurt?"

Kidd made a grunt of indifference, or perhaps it was because Luffy had popped up over Usopp's shoulder and joined in on poking Kidd's metal arm.

Zoro drank straight from the partially drunk bottle as Sanji laid out more food on the table. The two watched as Kidd attempted to fend off the three Straw Hat Pirates, not feeling so well now that the quickly ingested alcohol made itself known in his body.

-x

Outside, secluded up near the tangerines, Law enjoyed a quiet meal free of any questioning. It was a nice break, and was actually glad that Kidd had shown up after all. The Straw Hats would be occupied with the red head, which let the Heart Pirate steady himself and remind himself just why he had formed the alliance with them in the first place.

At least there wasn't enough alcohol on the ship to call for a drinking contest. It was still kind of funny to see Kidd drunk, and in a rather good mood, instead of being pissed off and trying to kill someone.

"Fufufufu. You're in a good mood, Law. I can fix that."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Why yes, I did have Law pop out Doflamingo's heart. XD

FYI about the rest of fanfic:

Remember that distress call Law put out back in chapter 2? Kidd wasn't the only one nearby who had picked up on it. So there will be another fight in either the next chapter or the one after it. The chapters might be in the 3,000-4,000 range for a bit, depending on my mood for how much I want to edit at a time.

And after some more plot tweaks, this fanfic is still going to stretch past what's happening in the Dressrosa arc. I highly doubt people would be interested in ploughing through the current arc in a fanfic, so I was thinking of glossing over the main points that lead up to my own version of Law being helped out in the current arc (cause it fits with the Kora stuff I was thinking about briefly touching on-how much I haven't decided, mainly due to next to nothing being know), and as the fanfic is on track to be Au-ish due to earlier chapters, there wouldn't be as many spoilers if people having gotten entirely caught up yet.

I have an ending in mind for this fanfic, which is still quite a ways off, and it involves going past the Dressrosa arc into AU-ish territory, cause I want to bring in other characters, including some or all of the Emperors (for fighting purposes, mainly, 'cause I want some major brawls and more tormenting Law time, cause that is what this fic was intended for originally).


	15. Chapter 15

Law took a bite out of one of his rice balls without comment. He'd known that Doflamingo was there, but had hoped to avoid engaging in a conversation with him. Law took another bite. It was doubtful that he could continue to ignore the other's presence. The Heart Pirate slid a glance in Doflamingo's direction, and found him several feet away, resting against the side of the ship.

Law found it rather interesting, as well as a bit disconcerting, that the other pirate could sound so confident when he was restrained with sea prism stone cuffs as well as the two nets, "How can you tell if I'm in a good mood or not? I don't believe that you can read someone very well that you haven't been around or seen for ten years."

Doflamingo chuckled as he settled more heavily against the side of the ship, "There are some things that remain unchanged."

Law made no response to that, though he knew that he could no longer pretend that Doflamingo wasn't there.

"You do seem more relieved than anything. Were your plans thrown into disarray before you managed to get the Straw Hat crew to team up against me?" Doflamingo questioned, his smile widening ever so slightly when he noticed Law shift where he was seated next to the tangerine trees.

"It was merely something I hadn't considered." Law looked at Doflamingo briefly, where there was a hole in his chest. He smirked a little, "Things turned out a little differently than planned, but in the long run I think it will work in my favor."

Doflamingo's smile slipped a little, "You had better put my heart back when we reach Dressrosa."

"Perhaps. I did say my plan changed a little due to your unexpected appearance." Law finished his meal and stood, giving Doflamingo a wide berth, should the older man try and make a move, "All that's left is to talk to Straw Hat-ya and his crew about it."

Doflamingo's grin returned full force, "Have you told them that your focus really isn't one of the emperors?"

Law looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes, "Why wouldn't it be? The whole point of what I did on Punk Hazard was to draw Kaido's attention."

"We'll see. I still think this is all an elaborate scheme of yours with Kaido seemingly the main target." Doflamingo fixed the Heart Pirate's back with a glare, despite the fact that he was still smiling, "I suppose we'll find out at Dressrosa whether or not your true aim is to bring Kaido down." Doflamingo's grin came back full force as he called after Law's retreating back, "I hope Straw Hat Luffy doesn't get upset when he finds that you were only intending this plan of yours to bring me down from power, with the emperor as an afterthought."

Law didn't look back as he went to rejoin the loud merrymaking in the galley, but he couldn't tune out Doflamingo's laughter.

-x

Kidd had drifted off as soon as Law had tried to engage Straw Hat and his crew in a conversation. He might have been more interested had the alcohol he had ingested hadn't caused him to pass out. Kidd figured Trafalgar would have a hard time getting anyone's attention for the time being. The red head rolled over and bumped into something.

Kidd slit his eyes open, and he blinked blearily at the wall of a cabin. Wait. How in the hell was it already morning? The alcohol must have been much stronger than he had thought it was.

Kidd rolled back over until he was on his back, and tilted his head. It looked like he had fallen asleep in the galley, and no one had bothered to wake him up. Kidd closed his eyes and snorted softly. Whatever. The Straw Hat crew was lucky they hadn't, as he would have been liable to attack them if they dared to make any noise. Kidd's head was throbbing, and the last thing he needed was for one of them to make a racket and make his hangover worse than it already felt like it was going to be...

An instrument suddenly began playing almost directly next to him, and Kidd's eyes snapped open. Before Kidd could attack the noisemaker, he twitched a little at the sight of Brook standing a short distance away, cheerfully playing the violin.

Brook noticed the rattled yet murderous look Kidd was giving him, and played a few more notes before he greeted the red head, "Yo ho ho ho! Good morning!" Brook paused briefly in reeling out a ditty, and tilted his head, "I say, isn't it rather uncomfortable sleeping on the ground? If I did that, my muscles would be very sore!" Brook resumed playing his violin as he laughed, "Wait! I have no muscles to become sore. How lucky for me. Yo ho ho ho!"

Kidd's hand twitched as the skeleton musician began to sing along with the dreadful racket he was already producing. A crazed gleam appeared in Kidd's eyes as his hands twitched.

Sound was forbidden on his own ship until he decided to roll out of bed for the day. Straw Hat's crewmate invading his personal space and making such a god awful racket was just begging for Kidd to dismantle them limb from limb.

Brook finally noticed that the red headed captain was not at all pleased with his attempts of music, if Kidd trying to grapple his legs was proof of that.

-x

Chopper and Usopp were earlier risers that day, and both of them startled badly when the galley doors banged open. They were further disturbed when Brook rushed out with a long, high pitched scream. Yet despite the threat of Kidd catching up with him with intent to destroy, Brook still managed to continue playing his instrument. Chopper and Usopp didn't know how to react, except to stay out of the way.

Brook ran past Nami and Robin, before he skidded to a halt and politely spoke to them, "Ah, good morning. May I see your panties...?" Brook let out a gasp as he and his instrument were sent flying through the air with a ferocious punch from Nami.

Kidd came to a halt at the sight, before he started to crack up at the sight of the skeleton lying in a heap near the mast, where Law was seated. The red head fell silent almost immediately, realizing that he was laughing at the Straw Hat crew's antics. Again.

Doflamingo chuckled at the sight as well from where he was seated on the upper deck near the tangerines, "Fufufufu. Maybe I should just let you all take one another out."

Nami whirled to fix the taller man with a glare, before she stomped over to Sanji and Zoro, and whapped both of them over the head, "Get that creep away from my tangerines!"

Sanji fawned on the spot, "Of course Nami!"

Zoro rubbed his head, but shrugged as he trailed after Sanji, who was already tugging at the back of Doflamingo's shirt.

Kidd watched silently as the two Straw Hat crewmembers dragged Doflamingo over to near where Law was. Kidd found it highly amusing that sparks immediately began to fly between the two men, despite no words being spoken.

Brook, still lying in a heap near Law and Doflamingo, began to play his violin again, "At least my bones didn't crack. That'd be unfortunate for me." The musician played a few stanzas, before chuckling, "Nothing that some milk couldn't fix."

Law broke off the silent staring contest between himself and Doflamingo, as his mind was still preoccupied from the night before. The older pirate was far too calm for one in his position, and the Law didn't like to think about what that meant. The Heart Pirate also didn't like that Doflamingo's comments had struck closer to the truth than Law would have liked to admit. Destroying S.A.D., kidnapping Caesar, and destroying the Smile factory in Dressrosa would aid in weakening Kaido's aim for gathering more forces. When it came down to what Law had in mind, he...

Distant cannon fire caught the Heart Pirate's attention, and Law, his thoughts forgotten for the time being, gripped the railing of the ship with his right hand. He even ignored the fact that Doflamingo was sprawled out on the deck nearby, where Sanji and Zoro had dropped him. Law's attention was on what was headed straight for them.

Quickly closing the distance were three Marine ships, and as soon as they were within range of the Thousand Sunny, they began to open fire more frequently.

Law ground his teeth in exasperation, his own inner thoughts completely dismissed as something more immediate demanded his attention. Great. The navy was just another unneeded complication on their way to Dressrosa. Was it too much to ask to have clear sailing the rest of the way with no more surprises?

Law walked briskly over to where the Straw Hat Pirates, as well as Kidd, had gathered.

"How'd the navy find us so quickly?" Nami questioned, once everyone had settled down and stopped talking all at once.

Robin eyed the navy ships that were quickly gaining on them, as the cannonballs landed closer and closer to the Sunny, "Perhaps they picked up on the distress signal that Law sent out a few days ago? The marines are known for intercepting them." A cannonball made a huge splash perilously close to the right side of the Thousand Sunny, "The storm likely kept the marines from ambushing us." Another cannon ball struck even closer, "Though if their fire hits us it wouldn't matter whether or not they could have ambushed us before."

"Don't be so calm about it!" Usopp exclaimed, as he watched a fourth marine ship sail in to join the first three.

Kidd let out a laugh as he strode across the deck of the Thousand Sunny to face the navy ships. He still had a hangover, and decided the best thing to clear his head was to cause some satisfying destruction, "Finally. I was getting bored anyway." The red headed captain glanced over his shoulder to glare haughtily at everyone present. Specifically Law and Luffy, "Back off. I'm gonna take these bastards down myself." And so help him if any of Straw Hat Luffy's crewmates tried to stop him.

Luffy, of course, pointedly ignored Kidd as he jumped up onto the railing to face a cannonball careening directly for him. Luffy sucked in his breath, "Gum Gum Balloon!" Luffy stopped the cannon, and sent it flying back to the ship, where it made a huge blast. The surprised yelps from the sailors were heard clearly, as they rushed to get out of the way of the damaged part of their deck.

Law drew his sword and hopped up onto the railing as well to stop the next incoming cannon. Even though he hadn't yet had enough time to fully recover, he still managed to create a large enough room to slice through the cannon ball. It dropped into the sea in two halves. Law immediately dropped the room, since he wanted to conserve his energy. Since it seemed like Kidd was in a bad mood again, he figured he didn't need to participate too much.

Kidd didn't even bother to argue with the two other captains stepping in to fight. Kidd merely grinned wolfishly as he set his sights on the two marine ships nearest to him. He casually raised his right hand to stop several cannonballs and spoke, "Repel." The returned ammunition caused massive damage to the closest ship. Kidd turned his attention to the second nearest ship, and used his Devil Fruit powers to manipulate the sailors' weapons from a distance to cause havoc on board. Kidd's grin widened when he caught sight of his own ship sailing toward them, pleased when it began to open fire on the marine ships.

Kidd sent another cannonball flying, laughing. Mass destruction and mayhem was a perfect way to start his day.

-x

Nami leaned against the railing and watched as two of the marine ships, badly damaged, slowly sailed off with survivors from the other two ships.

Law didn't much care that Kidd had been the one to destroy two of the fours marine ships. He was more concerned that Doflamingo had been watching the scene with a contemplative expression. The Heart Pirate looked away to survey the damage done.

It seemed that none of the navy men had died, as it looked like all of the ones that had been on board the two ships Kidd had been tearing apart had leapt into the water to escape. A few of the sailors could still be seen floundering in the water while they waited to be rescued by their comrades. At least nothing in the water had come up to pick them off. Yet.

Kidd was smug as he snorted scornfully at the sight, "That wasn't much of a challenge."

Luffy merely laughed at Kidd's announcement, "You didn't need to completely destroy the ships or kill anyone. We just needed to beat them up."

Kidd looked away from the sight of his ship sailing toward the Thousand Sunny to give Luffy an incredulous look, "This is the new world, Straw Hat. If you can't protect yourself, you die. If someone is better than you, that's just the way it is. Talk is nothing if you can't back it up with strength to follow through on it."

"Kidd!"

"Captain!"

Kidd was distracted as his ship sailed over to come alongside the Sunny, close enough that it wouldn't take much effort to leap over from one ship to another. Finally. Even though Kidd would never admit it aloud, he was relieved to see his crew. He was going to be able to escape the craziness that he had experienced over the past two days. Even if some of it _had_ been amusing. Kidd swaggered over to the side of the Thousand Sunny, and lifted a hand in a wave, "Keep thinking that way and you'll get taken down Straw Hat." Kidd leapt the short distance between the two ships, and landed onto his own ship's deck. The red headed captain turned and grinned mockingly at Law, "See you around, Trafalgar."

-x

Kidd's ship sailed off, and when it was nearly out of view, Law let out a slow sigh. With the navy dealt with, for now, and Eustass' departure, there was nothing more to delay him and the Straw Hat crew. They could finally begin to follow through with his plan, and Law could only hope that he would not see Kidd again anytime soon. The red head was obviously unstable, what with his need for death and destruction. However, if Kidd did happen to come back, Law would have a few things to hold over the man as a form of blackmail. Like Kidd drinking with Zoro, and boasting rather loudly about his previous exploits. As well as singing along with the rest of the crew when Brook had begun to play some ditties.

In a slightly better mood, Law decided to try and get the Straw Hats together to explain a few changes in his plan. Due to Doflamingo's unexpected appearance. He hadn't been able to the night before with all the partying that had been going on. At least, Law had planned on trying to explain things, when Luffy opened his mouth.

"Hey, Tra-guy! It's time for breakfast!"

Sanji nodded at his captain's words, "Yeah, and we're having sandwiches."

Law watched wordlessly as the crew trailed after Luffy and Sanji, before he puffed up indignantly, "I hate bread!" The Heart Pirate fell silent as he slowly sunk to the deck, horrified with his own behavior. That had been the second time he'd responded like that, and been taken completely off track. Law pointedly ignored Doflamingo laughing at him.

"Fufufufu. I'm looking forward to seeing if Straw Hat Luffy and his crew do you in before I get the chance to do it myself."

Law gave Doflamingo a very cross look, before he headed in the direction of the galley, thinking he could attempt to tell them about his change in plans there. If he didn't get side tracked again.

Doflamingo watched Law shut himself in the cabin, before settling his back against the mast. Doflamingo closed his eyes briefly. He doubted that he would be able to hear Law speak to the Straw Hat crew, but the brat had no doubt been thinking about what to do once they were closer to Dressrosa.

Law had been rather evasive in their conversation the previous night, and Doflamingo figured that that meant that the Heart Pirate had something planned. He just had to figure out what it was.

-x

Much to Law's relief, he had managed to successfully gain the others' attention, and he waited in silence for the Straw Hat crew to respond to what he had just told them.

Sanji was the first to speak about the Heart Pirate's altered plan, "I don't think it's the best idea to let Doflamingo go just like that. But I guess that it would at least keep him from attacking us as soon as he was free."

"Things are already out of hand. We can always fight him when he does turn up again." Zoro commented, resting a hand on his blades' hilts.

"Yeah, and beat him up if he does something like before." Luffy chimed in.

Law was inwardly relieved that it didn't take too much convincing to go along with the newly made plan. Holding onto Doflamingo's heart was the only way to ensure that the older pirate didn't immediately come after them as soon as they left him on the shore of Dressrosa.

-x

The remainder of the day passed by surprisingly quickly, mainly due to no one else impeding their progress. Before too long, Dressrosa was in view, and Law, eying the island, felt sufficiently recovered to rid himself of Doflamingo's presence. How long he would be out of the blond's sight depended entirely on what Doflamingo would do as soon as he freed himself.

The Thousand Sunny came to a slow crawl, moving slowly enough through the sea for Law to get to work.

The Heart Pirate lifted a hand, "Room." The sphere extended past the nearby shore, and Law was pleased at the sight. It meant that he had recovered enough to maintain larger rooms for a longer amount of time once more.

Doflamingo said nothing. He could already tell from Law's expression that he knew he was in deep trouble for this.

Law avoided eye contact as he twisted his fingers, and swapped Doflamingo and a rock on shore. Law watched the rock drop onto the deck, before he nodded to the Straw Hat Pirates, "We can go now." Law turned to look at Doflamingo seated on the shoreline, before the Heart Pirate used his powers once more to deposit two more items on shore, before dropping the room.

-x

Doflamingo stayed seated on the shore for some time, until the Thousand Sunny was out of sight. The damn brat had left him there, and not only had he left him in cuffs, but had left the nets in place as well. Doflamingo looked around, before he stilled at the sight of something half covered in the sand. The older pirate's lips curved into a wildly amused smirk. Law had left the keys to his cuffs within his grasp. That was a foolish thing to do. Doflamingo inched toward it, ignoring the sea stone draining his energy as he fought to move, hampered as he was.

After a few more grunts and curses across the shore, Doflamingo reached the key, and flopped over slightly to reach it. One of his hands snagged the key, and with a little effort, managed to unlock the cuffs. After a few twists and shaking and flailing, Doflamingo rid himself of the two nets with sea prism stone shards. Doflamingo kicked them away from himself as he rubbed his wrists. Freeing himself had taken a little longer than he had anticipated, but now he needed to get back and set his own plans in motion. He especially needed to ensure that everything at the coliseum was ready to go off without a hitch.

Doflamingo stood up and briefly glanced in the direction the Thousand Sunny had vanished. He walked a few steps to retrieve his pink, feathery coat, shaking it a little and finding that it was still a little wet and smelled of the sea. Doflamingo draped it over his shoulders anyway, brushing off his shirt absently. As he did, the blond's hand stilled over his chest. Doflamingo glanced down, veins appearing across his forehead as he gnashed his teeth at the sight that greeted him. His heart was missing, with the hole in his chest still there. That damn brat had kept his heart. Doflamingo lifted his head to stare out at sea again, and with a flick of his finger, destroyed a nearby rock. A wide, crazed smile crossed Doflamingo's face. He was definitely going to make Law regret this when the Heart Pirate showed up on Green Bit with Caesar. The only thing left to do after reclaiming the scientist would be how to get his heart back from Law.

Doflamingo heard footsteps approaching, and glanced over his shoulder. The older pirate's expression slipped into a lazy grin. He was going to be ready when Law showed up again. The Heart Pirate would find out in short order that he really shouldn't have been so cocky about being able to bring things down around him. Doflamingo had worked hard for what he'd gotten, even if it had involved a good deal of trickery on his part, as well as his and Sugar's Devil Fruit powers.

Doflamingo began to walk over to the person he had spotted, his grin deepening. If he could successfully get Caesar back, and let Law know just how badly he had miscalculated, there wasn't anyone that could really stop him. In addition to dealing with Law, if he could successfully distract Straw Hat Luffy with the coliseum with the Devil Fruit he'd obtained, Doflamingo would have nothing to worry about. It wasn't like Straw Hat would have any allies in Dressrosa other than those that had come with him.

But first, Doflamingo was going to locate that transponder snail that Law had left behind before. He might as well try and contact the brat. Law keeping his heart was no doubt part of a change in plans for the Heart Pirate. Law likely wanted to try and get something else in order to give the heart back. Doflamingo grinned evilly. Law had no idea how much trouble he was actually in. He would play along for now, get Caesar back, and then enjoy the look on Law's face as the Heart Pirate realized everything he had done had been for nothing.

A feminine voice rang out, cutting into Doflamingo's thoughts.

"Master, how dare you leave before I could exact my revenge!"

Doflamingo dodged a sobbing Baby 5 as she unleased a massive explosion with a cannon she had just turned herself into. Doflamingo's smile remained in place as Baby 5 continued her relentless assault now that she had located him.

Baby 5 was torn between killing Doflamingo for offing one of her husbands again, and being relieved that he was back and uninjured. Revenge won out, and Baby 5 continued to sob as she changed her whole arm into a blade and attacked Doflamingo, "I'll get you this time!"

Doflamingo stopped her with his Devil Fruit powers, and turned to the others that had gathered on the shore. He grinned as he spoke, "Is everything in place?" Luckily for everyone gathered, no one said a word about the open space where his heart had been.

There was a short silence before someone spoke, "Yes, and the gladiators are gathering at the coliseum. It's looking like it'll be quite the turnout."

Doflamingo turned his attention from the person that had spoken to Baby 5, "Go find Trebol and tell him to bring 'it' to the hall of suits." Doflamingo released her from his Devil Fruit powers, knowing that a change of mood would soon follow.

Thoughts of swift revenge fled her as soon as Baby 5 realized that Doflamingo needed her. Still teary eyed, Baby 5 turned and ran away, incoherent jumbles of syllables issuing from her as she tried to communicate to the grinning blond that she would be back to destroy him as soon as she did as he'd asked.

After all, Baby 5 couldn't rightly kill Doflamingo at the moment if he needed her.

-x

Two figures watched the odd exchange with Doflamingo and his crew from the shadows of some nearby buildings. At length, they spoke to one another, when it was clear that neither Doflamingo or those with him had noticed their presence.

"Things seem to be moving along more quickly than we thought."

"You saw the ship that just sailed away? I thought I saw Luffy on board."

"If it was him, he'll come back. He should have already hear about the prize for the coliseum."

One of the figures moved away, "I'm going to go on ahead and keep an eye on things."

The other figure nodded, "I'll keep you posted if I learn anything."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Doflamingo was just trying to throw Law off in an attempt to get info. And it was just some random marines that picked up on the distress call Law had sent out-no one important. And letting Doflamingo go for fanfic plot reasons.

There'll be two to three chapters in Dressrosa, glossing the arc over to my own version of Law being helped by Luffy and co, and another fight with Doflamingo. Meaning the beginning of the next chapter will be more like flashes of things to the point where Law is waking up after he got his ass handed to him by Doflamingo.

After that, there is going to be more speculation/guessing kind of storyline (with Cora stuff, cause I've been thinking about it), before moving past Dressrosa into chapters with a whole lot more fights/AU stuff). I'm definitely going to be bringing Kidd back. He's entertaining to write.

I will attempt to keep IC as much as possible when things go more AU in future chapters, but some characters that show up (like Kaido and Big Mom) may be more from assumption and what little there is that is known from canon. Still figuring out the secondary genre for this fanfic. For now I'll label it humor/drama. I may change it later (I was considering adventure or action, thinking about future chapters).

Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! I probably will keep updating this fanfic at a relatively fast pace. I tend to write when I'm stressed out, and I've found that typing is rather therapeutic (no matter what the content is). I'll also try to keep future A/N notes short.


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